Steps To Personal Revival

1
No. Mini Series
HELMUT HAUBEIL
Steps to Personal Revival
TO PERSONAL
REVIVAL
Do you wish to have a happy and fulfilled life, a joyful

life of faith with exciting experiences?
If yes, then this book is just right for you. People have shared more than
500 experiences with me of how they have experienced positive changes
Steps T O P E R S O N A L R E V I VA L
in their faith life by reading this book. Therefore, further insights have
been added to this new standard edition. They show how Steps to Personal
Revival can lead us to: TO PERSONAL
❧ Recognize the most precious of all gifts that Jesus offers us: the Holy
Spirit
❧ A proper self-assessment in relation to our spiritual status
REVIVAL
❧ Understand the two simple steps that lead to an attractive spiritual life New Standard-Edition with additional experiences
and the certainty of salvation.
❧ Know the great benefit of a life in the power and guidance of the Holy
Spirit and what losses we suffer without Him.
❧ To become aware that our prayers with promises have a completely dif-
ferent quality. We then pray more joyfully, with confidence and more
depth. And after such a prayer, we can be sure that we have received
the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit
❧ Their great joy caused them to be witnesses and distributors of the
book. How do you experience this?
God wants to make a big difference in your life. It makes a crucial differ-
ence if you work for God or if our wonderful Lord can work through you.
Jesus longs for an intimate relationship with you. And He wants to get clos-
er to others through you. Great blessings and joy come from re-reading
the book multiple times. Study and practice the suggestions for six weeks
(3 x 14 days) and marvel at what God accomplishes in your life. H E L M U T H A U B E I L
Publisher: I currently pastor two churches in California. I first came across your mate-
Original: „Schritte zur persönlichen Erweckung“
TOP Life Wegweiser-Verlag GmbH, Wien rial when listening to Pastor Dwight Nelson [see below] on his weekly podcast.
Austrian Publishing House It totally impacted my soul at once. I had heard about other Holy Spirit mate-
Verlagsarchivnummer: 040 415 rials before, but I confess that I never cared much for them. I definitely believe
ISBN: 978-3-903002-14-2
that for some reason, God has chosen this current time to reach more people
English editions – Printed in: with the Holy Spirit. And I’m so glad I have found it from your efforts.
There were printed 23 editions from 2015 till Oct.2019 in Germany, South Korea, USA, Philippines, Zambia,
Australien, India, Great Britain
One thing I can witness to you: Right in the first chapter we are exposed
in a simple way to very powerful truths which call our minds to stop and re-
Conception: Simon Eitzenberger, www.desim.de think. And the process of reading multiple times is very effective. To everybo-
Producer: Konrad Print & Medien, www.konrad-medien.de
Project management: Christian Stroeck dy whom I talk, discuss and preach about the book, the Holy Spirit subject
Translation from the German edition: Holly Tarita becomes more and more attractive again. It’s like we are hearing about it for
the first time. I can see it in myself. I could not move out of the first chapter
Contact and order in foreign languages: before preaching at least 3 sermons about the subject covered in it. I just don’t
© Helmut Haubeil, Rosenheimerstraße 49 know how to better explain it, but I could not stop reading the book and the
D-83043 Bad Aibling / Oberbayern – Germany results of that were felt in my churches. I did spread the word, and this last
Email: helmut@haubeil.net
Phone: +49 (0)8061 4900 712 year my district has shown a significant growth. All of that I attribute to God
Languages: German and English and the way the Holy Spirit has empowered our members. And we are looking
for more to come in the new year! D.R. Jan. 2018 Excerpt
Translations:
European languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German (Original),
Greenlandic, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, Portuguese-Portugal,
Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian.
Asian Languages: Bahasa-Indonesia, simplified and traditional Chinese, India: Hindi, Odia, Mizo, Telugu.
Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Tagalog-Philippines, Thai Thailand, Urdu-Pakistan, Vietnamese
Pastor Dwight Nelson, Leading Pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church in Andrews University,
In preparation: Aramaic-Armenia, Bahasa-Malaysia, Bengali/Bangla-Bangladesh, Burmese-Myanmare, said that this little book [Steps to Personal Revival] has “changed the inside of me. I want to
Farsi (Iran), Singhalese-Sri Lanka, Tongan – Tonga Islands Pacific
do the same for you”.
African Languages: Amharic-Ethiopia, Kirundi-Burundi, Kinyarwanda-Rwanda, Swahili-Kenya, He preached a series of three sermons:
Tanzania, Zulu-South Africa “Ground Zero and the New Reformation: How to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?”
He quoted from 'Steps to Personal Revival' and recommended it. That led to thousands of down-
loads and orders of books.
Website:
www.steps-to-personal-revival.info and www.schritte-zur-persönlichen-erweckung.info His personal testimony and the three sermons are at www.steps-to-personal-revival.info
There are and will be free all translated languages to read, print, sent to a friend. The menu-points:
Leader, How to generate interest?, Share it, Development (In which way the Lord developed the books),
Testimonies (more than 100), Contact. There is also the continuation book: Abide in Jesus.
Order Info
rmation:
For details, see page 2
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James
Version. NKJV – Scripture marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world.
Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Book 1
STEPS
TO PERSONAL
REVIVAL
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SPEAKER FOR SEMINARS

USA and many countries: www.spiritbaptism.org – start page scroll down
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, European countries:
www.steps-to-personal-revival.info - click German version – contact page – scroll down
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Steps
TO PERSONAL
Revival
Being filled with the Holy Spirit
How do you experience this?
H E L M U T H AU B E IL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INT R O D UCT IO N
ST EPS T O P ERSON AL REVI VAL
Day 1 Filled with the Holy Spirit—Why was it that I was suddenly intensively
occupied with the matter of “Life in the Holy Spirit“? ................................... 8
FO R E WO R D
M U L T IPLY IN G THE RESULTS
For leaders and future leaders ..................................................................... 10
C H A PT E R 1
J E S U S ’ M OST PRECI OUS GI FT
What did Jesus teach about the Holy Spirit? Are you acquainted
Day 2
with Jesus’ most powerful message? ............................................................... 18
C H A PT E R 2
WHAT IS T HE CEN TER OF OUR PR O B L E M S?
Day 3 Is there a spiritual cause behind our problems? Is the cause a lack
of the Holy Spirit? .......................................................................................... 28
Day 4 What is the main problem with being a carnal Christian?........................... 42
C H A PT E R 3
O U R PR OBLEMS ARE SOLVABLE
Day 5 What is God’s solution for our problems? How can we grow to be happy
and strong Christians?.................................................................................... 54
Day 6 What is the relationship between baptism and the Holy Spirit? ................. 64
4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CH A PT E R 4
WHAT DIF F EREN CES CAN W E EXPE CT?
Day 7 What advantage do we have with a life filled with the Holy Spirit?............ 72
What do we lose when we don’t pray for the Holy Spirit?............................ 84
Day 8
CH A PT E R 5
T HE K EY T O PRACTI CAL EXPERI EN CE
P RAY ING WI TH PROMI SES
Day 9
How can I implement and experience God’s solution for me?.................... 96
How should I pray so that I am sure of being filled
Day 10
with the Holy Spirit? ...................................................................................... 106
CH A PT E R 6
WHAT EXPERI EN CES LI E AHEAD O F U S?
Day 11 Personal experiences, as well as experiences from churches,

a conference and a union ............................................................................ 114
CH A PT E R 7
INT E R EST AN D SHARI N G
The Joy that we give returns to our own hearts. (German Proverb)
Day 12
How can I help others to experience “Life in Abundance”? ........................ 128
Day 13
How do we pass on the message? Which ways are there? ......................... 136
APP E ND IX
Day 14 Recommendation for further Study, Contacts ............................................ 142
5
FRUITFUL LIFE
Jesus:
“… He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears MUCH FRUIT …” John 15:5
How can I abide in Jesus?

Jesus invites us: Come to Me! (Matt. 11:28) Whoever has come to Jesus is
also invited to remain. (John 15:4) And how does this work?
“Abide in Me, and I in you.”
“Abiding in Christ“ means:
• a constant receiving of His Spirit
• a life of unreserved surrender
• to His service.” Desire of Ages p.676.2
This explanation really opened my eyes and gave me clarity for my walk
with God. For me this is the secret to a happy Christian life. (John 15:11) It is
my prayer and special wish that this will also show many the way to a joyful
and fulfilled life. These words are the foundation for the three booklets in
the series, Steps to Personal Revival.
What ist the connection of the three booklets in the

Steps to Personal Revival series?
No. 1 Steps to Personal Revival
Being filled with the Holy Spirit
How can you experience this?
It is about a constant asking and receiving of His Spirit.
No. 2 Abide in Jesus
How is this done?
It is about a life of unreserved surrender to Jesus Christ.
No. 3 Spirit-filled Co-Workers with Jesus
How can you become a Spirit-filled co-worker?
It is about unreserved surrender to His service with all its
brilliant consequences.
(Available Autumn 2019)
Encouragement
Experience has shown that the study of these precious truths is particularly
blessed, when, following the personal study a daily common devotion
is performed in twos. There is double blessing for couples! (With others
maybe telephone, Skype) Also a daily or weekly time for conversation and
prayer in a group is very stimulating.
6
OUR LORD HIMSELF
HAS GIVEN THE
COMMAND1
LET YOURSELVES
BE CONSISTENTLY AND
REPEATEDLY FILLED ANEW
WITH THE SPIRIT! 2
1 Ellen G. White, Mount of Blessing, MB 20.3 (egwwritings.org)

2 Johannes Mager, Auf den Spuren des Heiligen Geistes (Lüneburg, 1999), S. 101
7
Day 1 INTRODUCTION
STEPS TO
PERSONAL REVIVAL
Filled with the Holy Spirit
Why was it that I was suddenly and

intensively occupied with the matter of
“Life in the Holy Spirit“?
On August 14, 2011, when I was in Kandergrund in the Bernese Highlands in

Switzerland an important connection became very clear to me. I recognized
a spiritual cause for why we are losing part of our youth which shocked me
greatly. I thought of my children and grandchildren. Since then I have been
intensively occupied with this subject.
Now I believe that the same spiritual cause is behind many of our
problems; specifically, personal problems, problems in marriages
and families, in local churches and the world-wide church. It is the
lack of the Holy Spirit.
If this is the cause, then we should urgently address this issue. If the
cause can be eliminated or considerably reduced, then many problems will
become superfluous or will be resolved.
8 INTRODUCTION STEPS TO PERSONAL REVIVAL

WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY
ABOUT THIS DEFICIENCY:
E mil B runner : Evangelical reformed theologian, wrote that the Holy
Spirit “has always more or less been the stepchild of theology.” 3
D. M artin L loyd -J ones : “If I may give my honest opinion, then there is no
topic on biblical belief that has been so neglected in the past or present as
the topic of the Holy Spirit…. I am sure that this is the cause for the weak-
ness of the evangelical faith.” 4
L e R oy E. F room : “I am convinced that the lack of the Holy Spirit is our
worst problem.” 5
D wight N elson : “Our church has to the point of exhaustion developed
admirable forms, plans and programs, but if we don’t finally admit to our
spiritual bankruptcy [lack of the Holy Spirit], which has overtaken many of
us ministers and leaders, then we will never be able to get out of our Pro-
Forma-Christianity.” 6
First, we want to look at the fruits that have grown where this deficiency
has been eradicated. Then we want to look at some advice that our Lord
Jesus gave about the Holy Spirit.
MY WISH
I wish each person that is already living in the Holy Spirit to attain the full-
ness of the Spirit. For those who haven’t lived with the Holy Spirit or have
only had an insufficient life with the Holy Spirit, I hope that this is the begin-
ning of a new fulfilled and victorious life.
3 Johannes Mager, Auf den Spuren des Heiligen Geistes, (Lüneburg, 1999), Cover
4 D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Vollmacht, Telos-Taschenbuch Nr. 385, Marburg 1984, S. 72
5 Ellen G. White, The Coming of the Comforter (Hagerstown, 1949), p. 94
6 Editor Helmut Haubeil, Missionsbrief Nr. 34 (Bad Aibling, 2011), S. 3
9
FOREWORD
MULTIPLYING
THE RESULTS
For leaders and future leaders
Dear Leader,
Do you want your area to grow spiritually and numerically? But is this
really possible today? Yes, it is definitely possible. How?
“What you intend, you will not succeed by the power of an army and
not by human power: No, my spirit will effect it! I promise, the LORD
Almighty God.” (Zech 4:6 Hfa)
How is this supposed to happen? I think we all still have much to learn
here. Do we also want to learn from the experiences of others? I’m con-
vinced of the benefits of doing so. May the Lord, through His Spirit, show us
all His way to true spiritual and numerical growth.
The shared experiences through Steps to Personal Revival, which about

500 readers told, show that this booklet can be of valuable assistance. But
spiritual and numerical growth requires more than just reading a booklet
once or distributing it. It is necessary to put the presented elements of a
revival into practice. It needs your heart’s involvement. I dare say: Your area
will only go as far as you go. No one can guide another, unless he himself
has gone on the path before. Our lives, our prayers, our testimonies, our
10 FOREWORD MULTIPLYING THE RESULTS

conversations, our influence and our sermons will be used by God. In fact,
multiple reading seems to be a key: Educational research has shown that it
is necessary to read such a crucial theme for our lives six to ten times before
you understand it thoroughly. Try it at least once. The results will convince
you.
TESTIMONIES
Two testimonies from a pastor and a Union Departmental Leader, now

retired, USA:
1. Testimonies—I read your book Steps to Personal Revival three times.
I never thought I would find such new insights about prayer. Prayer,
which is based on God’s promises like you explained. Since then, God has
achieved victories in my life that I never thought possible.—I have been
invited to preach at a camp meeting. Your book gave me the topic.
June 26, 2017—F.S. Abbreviated
2. Testimonies—Since I started reading your book (I have read it 6 times

according to the advice in the book) and learned how to pray with promises,
my life has been transformed. …The Lord guided me to prepare a sermon
for the camp meeting about our greatest need, the refreshing showers of the
Spirit of God. In all the years I dedicated to the ministry, I have never felt
the power of the Holy Spirit moving among people as among those 3,000
in that auditorium.
—My wife has noticed a complete change in me. Even I am surprised at
myself. July 25th, 2017—F.S. Abbreviated
11
40 Days Concept—from 17 to 65 members
The small church in Cologne-Kalk, Germany, had 17 German, Spanish and
Portuguese members. Pastor J. Lotze invited them to carry out the 40 Day
concept. They studied a 40 Days book in groups of two, each one prayed daily
for five unreached people and they established personal contact with them.
On the 40th day they had a visitor’s sabbath and after that was a 14-day
evangelistic campaign. They were able to baptize 13 people within a short
time. They repeated the 40 Days concept several times and have grown to
65 members within 4 years. (See 40 Days books for the 40 Days concept and
go to “Experiences” No.19 to find more about the experience from Cologne.)
Lugano, Italian speaking area of Switzerland—very secular

Pastor Matthias Maag had excellent experiences as a missionary in South
Africa with the 40 Days books by Dennis Smith. When he returned to Swit-
zerland, he started immediately with this concept. There were 15 baptisms
in the first year [which is very extraordinary in this region]. One lady had
been a regular visitor at the church for 15 years. During the 40 Days she
decided to be baptized.
Youth
My name is Alina van Rensburg and I’m the Young Adult Director for the
South Queensland Conference [12,200 members in Australia]. I had a young
lady share Steps to Personal Revival with me at the beginning of this year
and I was absolutely blown away. It explores the exact theme that God
placed on the hearts of my husband and myself: awakening to the Holy
Spirit in our lives!!—I could tell you so many stories, but in essence, we have
been so blessed by this little book! Greg Pratt [Discipleship and Spiritual
Development Director SQC] had an extra 300 books that I distributed to all
of my young adult leaders at our leadership meetings earlier this year and
the response has been absolutely incredible. So now I would like to source
an extra 150 books to give my young adults at Big Camp this year, to study
during Life Group Sessions.
366 baptisms + 35 in baptismal class

The Secretary of the Burundi Union, Paul Irakoze, [130,000 members,
100,000 Steps to Personal Revival in Kirundi], said that as a whole 320 for-
mer members came back through the influence of the brochure. They were
accepted by a new baptism in March 2017.

Deaf people read the booklet three times. Then they shared their experi-
ences with other hearing impaired people. Result: In March 2017, we bap-
tized 25 deaf people.
Prisoners—We distributed the booklet to our church members in
Mpimba Prison. They were moved by the Holy Spirit and started sharing
their faith. This last Sabbath, 21 prisoners were baptized and 35 are prepar-
ing for baptism. This is the fruit of the booklet Steps to Personal Revival.
abbreviated
Study Period/Week of Prayer—The Burundi Union had a week of prayer
for their 130,000 members in Nov. 2017 using Steps to Personal Revival
again. The sermons of our Secretary on this topic were also broadcast on
the Adventist radio station every evening.
Students—Pastor Dwight Nelson, Leading Pastor of Andrews University,

said that this little book “changed the inside of me. I want to do the same
for you.” On Sept. 2nd 2017 he started a series of three sermons: “Ground
Zero and the New Reformation: How to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?”
He quoted from Steps to Personal Revival and recommended it to everyone.
That led to 4,000 downloads and the order of thousands booklets. Link to
these sermons and his blog: www.pmchurch.tv/sermons or www.steps-to-
personal-revival.info
An excellent idea—from USA

I listened to the sermon series by Dwight Nelson yesterday. As I introduce
the book Steps to Personal Revival to my church this Sabbath, I will play the
first 5 minutes in hopes that his testimony in regards to the book will ignite
some interest. After potluck, with my Pastors permission, we will show the
rest of the sermon to those interested! D. W.
Evangelism
Dwight Nelson writes in his blog Oct. 11, 2017 (shortened and edited)
Ninety-one “guests” (as they call them) joined with Zagreb Adventists in the
nightly ninety-minute program. …On a personal note and in grateful appre-
ciation for your intercessory prayers, I need to testify I’ve not had an experi-
ence of public evangelistic preaching quite like this one in Zagreb in all the
years I’ve been involved in evangelism. As I told the pastors here at Pioneer,
I’m absolutely certain it was and remains the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s own
full-court intervention day and night in that city in response to concerted
13
prayer. I remind you, many of us back in September began seeking God for
a daily baptism of the Holy Spirit (as Christ invites us to do in Luke 11:13).
Which is why I can be confident in attributing what I personally experienced
and witnessed in Zagreb to His direct work. All of which says nothing about
me—but says everything about the veracity of Jesus’ promise—“But you
will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My
witnesses …”(Acts 1:8) So whatever we do, let’s not abandon our daily seek-
ing for the Spirit of God’s fresh, empowering baptism every morning.
Reconciliation
There are very good experiences of individuals and families (see experience
nos. 2/17; 3/31; 3/35; 3/40; 4/52; 4/56). Experiences of entire churches going
from tensions, quarrels, divisions, injuries, no forgiveness, emotional out-
bursts and personal attacks to loving and peaceful forgiveness and recon-
ciliation (experiences no. 1/10; 7/84).
Young Mother—Kids—USA
Indeed, I sense a great responsibility in raising three little boys. I have and
can see that the only hope I have is to daily ask for the Holy Spirit to pos-
sess me each day. Since reading your book, I have seen what a difference
it has made in the behaviour of my boys. I have patience where I normally
wouldn’t have patience; I have love and compassion where I would have
frustration. And they are more often than not responding with a surren-
dered heart. We are growing certainly, but how thankful I am to understand
the simple truth of how Jesus can live in me! D. W.
90% of the newly baptized members are well integrated in the church
after two years.
The Rwanda union wrote on February 14, 2019: “We have been greatly
blessed by the book Steps to Personal Revival (130,000 copies in Kinyar-
wanda). In 2016 we conducted a country-wide mission program “Total
Member Involvement”. Subsequently, by God’s grace 110,000 people were
baptized in 2016 and the beginning of 2017. At their baptism each person
was given a copy of this book as a present. Thanks to this book 90% of the
newly baptized have become active church members. It is a very good book
that shows how a person can have a relationship with Jesus through the
Holy Spirit.” MKN (slightly abbreviated)

‘How to raise interest?’ Under this menu point you will find valuable sug-
gestions. One thing, which is very easy to start, is the suggestion of “Coordi-
nated Reading”. The strongest incentive is through holding a “seminar”. You
can hold it yourself, or have a guest speaker (or use a video; only available
in certain languages.) You can still enhance the experience of a seminar if
you have “Coordinated Reading” before or after the seminar.
My request: May I—as an older brother—recommend to you: pray and read

the booklet several times with someone who is near to you. This will nota-
bly influence the progress in your group, church or conference.
Could the next step be to share your insights and experiences with the Pas-
tors, Elders and other key-members? It is so important to reach their hearts.
That is how Ethiopia started. In July 2017, 500 pastors received the booklet
in Amharic at the end of a revival-week.—In the North Philippines Union the
booklet was presented at a prayer-conference in Filipino to 1,500 Elders in
June 2017.
Experiences
Publish personal testimonies in our papers. This is a great source of inspi-
ration. If necessary, testimonies can also be used from www.steps-to-per-
sonal-revival.info—Testimonies
Dear Leader!
Let us grow in the Holy Spirit. The Lord himself has given the command
[MB20.3]: “Let yourselves be constantly and repeatedly filled anew with the
Spirit”. (Eph 5:18)
Christ in us and the Holy Spirit make us “heralds of good tidings” (Is 40:9).
Don’t forget Jesus’ last words on earth: “But you will receive the Holy Spirit
and be my witnesses through His power [ability, equipping, supernatural
power].” (Acts 1:8)
Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Helmut Haubeil
15
PROMINENT WORDS
Bring our churches closer to Jesus

I would like to thank you for translating and using this book for our entire
Union. The encouragement and teachings contained in this book have per-
sonally blessed me, and I am sure that the Holy Spirit will use them to bring
our church closer to Jesus and personally experience the life-changing
power of the Holy Spirit at work.
B. F. EE 070818 President of a 500,000-member Union, #104
I asked God: Show me what I miss!

I want to praise God for the book Steps to Personal Revival. My way with God
has been a bit difficult lately. I asked God to reveal to me what I miss. I often
hear the broadcasts from 3ABN. It was about 2 a.m. when a calm voice
woke me. When I awoke, I heard 3ABN and the speakers just mentioned the
theme “Holy Spirit” and referred to the website steps-to-personal-revival.
info. I immediately downloaded the book and have been reading it ever
since in my devotional time. This booklet has opened my spiritual eyes. I
now recognize more clearly how crucial the Holy Spirit is and why he works
here with us. I always knew he existed but could not grasp the dimension.
This booklet made me understand who he is and what role he plays in my
spiritual journey and also how important it is to invite the Holy Spirit on a
daily basis to fight the old selfishness and other sinful desires. I have been
reading this booklet out one after the other. It has made me very blessed.
Now I also understand why my spiritual path has been so stony so far: I was
not connected to the Holy Spirit, the source of power. I will pray for you.
R. V. EE220618 from Australia, #108
We suffer from spiritual not financial poverty

Late last year, I attended a meeting at Spicer Adventist University. The main
US speaker had a copy of Steps to Personal Revival. His speeches were from
this book. He said, “We suffer from spiritual, not financial poverty.”
R. K. EE070219 from Bangladesh, #94

STEPS TO PERSONAL REVIVAL | DAY 1
Personal Thoughts and Discussion Guide

1. What was always theology’s “stepchild”? What consequences does that
have?
2. What promise can we claim? (Zechariah 4:6) What could this mean for you
and your church?
3. What important conditions have to be met in order to expect good

results?
4. Which of the quoted experiences especially touched you and why?
Our Prayer Time

• Contact your prayer partner and discuss the topic.
• Pray with your prayer partner …
1. for a heart that is receptive, eager to learn and is open to the working
of the Holy Spirit.
2. for a clearer understanding of where you haven’t paid enough atten-
tion to the working of the Holy Spirit.
3. for all the pastors, teachers and other leaders in the church—that
they will experience the power of the Holy Spirit and be willing to be
led by Him.
4. for personal experiences with God—how He can work through the
Holy Spirit in you.
17
Day 2 CHAPTER 1
JESUS’ MOST
PRECIOUS GIFT
What did Jesus teach about the Holy Spirit?

Are you acquainted with Jesus’ most powerful message?
A FEW OF THE FIRST PERSONAL TESTIMONIES

Back to our “first love”: A sister wrote to me: My friend and I are currently
studying the 40 Days book for the third time, alternating with the book-
let Steps to Personal Revival. Before we discovered this material our faith
experience and prayer life wasn’t what it had once had been. We longed
to find our “first love” again. We have found it! We thank God with our
whole hearts. It is so wonderful how our loving God answers prayers and
that He reveals how His Spirit is working—on us and on the people we are
praying for. M. S.
Jesus entered our lives: Another person wrote about these books: “… they
have become a great and long-awaited blessing in my life. Just like many
other church members and a sister from our church have experienced,
something was always missing in our faith experience and now we have
had the privilege of experiencing how Jesus has entered our lives and has
begun to change us. He is still working on us and step by step is drawing us
closer to Him.” S. K.
18 CHAPTER 1 JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

Did Jesus’ disciples ask themselves: How can Jesus exercise such a
great influence? Was it connected with His prayer life? That is why they
asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus responded to their request.
His prayer lesson in Luke 11:1-13 has three parts: The Lord’s Prayer, the
parable of the friend coming at midnight and as a climax, the continual
request for the Holy Spirit.
In the parable (verses 5-8) visitors arrive at a man’s home late in the eve-
ning and he has nothing to serve them. Because of his need, he immedi-
ately goes to his neighbor. He explains to him that “he has nothing” and
asks for bread. He continues to ask until he finally receives the bread. Now
he has bread - the bread of life. Now he can share with his guests. We learn
here that we have to come to Jesus so that we can share with other people.
When we want to pass on the bread of life, then we often realize that we
have nothing at all!
Now Jesus links this parable (problem: I have nothing) with the request
for the Holy Spirit by saying: “Therefore I say to you, ask, and it will be given
you.” (Luke 11:9 NKJV) Then follows:
JESUS’ SPECIAL APPEAL: THEREFORE ASK

FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT
There is a particular Bible passage in which Jesus emphatically commands
us to ask for the Holy Spirit. I know of no other passage where Jesus so
lovingly urged us to take something to heart. These verses are found in His
lesson on prayer in Luke 11. There He emphasized 10 times that we should
ask for the Holy Spirit. Luke 11:9-13 NKJV:
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he
who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for
bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a
fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will
he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask Him!”
In these few verses Jesus used the verb “ask” six times; then he replaced
“ask” and emphasized it with “seek” two times—an action—and two more
times with “knock”—also an action word.
19
Doesn’t He clearly show us that we have to take action in order to be
filled with the Holy Spirit? The last “ask” is used in the continuous tense in
Greek. That means that we aren’t to ask only once, but rather to ask contin-
uously. Here Jesus not only makes asking a matter of urgency but implores
us to ask continually. Certainly He also wants to awaken our desire for the
Holy Spirit with this heartfelt invitation. This urgent invitation shows us
Jesus’ conviction that we would be missing something crucial, if we don’t
continually ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He was clearly calling
our attention to the fact that we absolutely need the Holy Spirit. In this way
He wants us to continually receive the rich blessings of the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s Object Lessons it says: “God does not say, ask once, and you
shall receive. He bids us ask, to unwearyingly persist in prayer. The persis-
tent asking brings the petitioner into a more earnest attitude, and gives
him an increased desire to receive the things for which he asks.” 7
Jesus then gave three examples, which show behavior that is unimagi-
nable even for sinful human fathers. He wanted to show us that it is even
more unimaginable that our heavenly Father wouldn’t give us the Holy
Spirit when we ask. Jesus wants us to be sure that we will receive the Holy
Spirit when we ask in the appropriate way. With this promise and other
promises we can ask in faith and know that we have already received what
we requested. (1 Joh 5:14,15; more information in chapter 5)
This special invitation shows us that according to Jesus something
essential is missing when we don’t persistently ask for the Holy Spirit. He
draws it to our attention that we absolutely need the Holy Spirit. He wants
us to continually experience the rich blessings of the Holy Spirit.
This part of His lesson on prayer is a unique process. The Holy Spirit is
God’s greatest gift—the gift which brings all the other gifts with it. This was
Jesus’ crowning gift to His disciples and clear proof of His love. I think we
can understand that such a valuable gift wouldn’t be pushed on someone.
It is only given to those who express their desire for this gift and appreciate
it.
He will be given to those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus; He
will be given to those who live in continual commitment. (John 15: 4-5)
Commitment is expressed by:
7 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (1900), p. 145.3

A yearning for God (“whoever thirsts” John 7:37)
Trust in God (“he who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said” John 7:38)
Complete surrender as a result of trusting God (“placing your whole life
at God’s disposal” Rom 12:1)
Following God in everything (“those who obey Him” Acts 5:32)
We confess every known sin (“If we confess our sins, he …will forgive us
our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9)
Give up their own way, go God’s way and do this according to God’s will
(“repent and be baptized” Acts 2:38)
Not to plan anything wrong (“if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will
not hear” Ps 66:18)
Realize and admit to our great need (“I have nothing” Luke 11:6)
Continually ask for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:9-13)
Can’t you clearly see how valuable this gift is? When you think about all
these prerequisites, then you will probably find deficiencies in yourself.
I have made it my habit to pray daily for a desire for the Holy Spirit in
connection with John 7:37 NKJV: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink.” 8
We can pray: “Lord Jesus, I completely say yes to all the prerequisites
for receiving the Holy Spirit. I sincerely ask that you now, today, fulfill
them in me.” Our wonderful God is even there for us in fulfilling the
prerequisites.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SOURCE OF A FULFILLED LIFE

According to Jesus, why did He come to this earth? He said: “I have come
that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John
10:10 NKJV)
Jesus wants us to experience this new Holy Spirit-filled life now and to
continue it in a completely different dimension after His second coming in
God’s kingdom throughout eternity.
8 It is worthwhile to pray with promises. If you want to know more about this, please read
chapter 4 of Steps to Personal Revival.
21
He also shows us that the source of a fulfilled life is the Holy Spirit:
“… ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as
the Scripture has said, out of his heart will ﬂow rivers of living water.’ But this
He spoke concerning the Spirit …” (John 7:37-39 NKJV)
“Rivers of living water”—isn’t that a good picture of a fulfilled life?
DURING HIS LIFE HERE ON EARTH DID JESUS GIVE US

A CORRESPONDING EXAMPLE?
We know that Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18). We
know that after His baptism He prayed: “And the Holy Spirit descended in
bodily form like a dove upon Him …” (Luke 3:22) Under these circumstances
was it necessary and important that He receive the Holy Spirit daily? Why
does He admonish us to repeatedly ask for the Holy Spirit? I quote from
Ellen G. White: “Morning by morning he communicated with his Father
in heaven, receiving from him daily a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit.” 9
There is a statement in Acts of the Apostles : “To the consecrated worker
there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge that even Christ during
His life on earth sought His Father daily for fresh supplies of needed grace
… .” 10
Jesus indeed was an example to us in this. We have to ask ourselves: If
Jesus daily needed a refreshing from the Holy Spirit, then how much more
important is it for you and me?
The apostle Paul really understood Jesus’ objective. In his letter to
the church in Ephesus, Paul confirms in chapter 1:13 that they had been
sealed by the Holy Spirit when they became believers. In chapter 3:16-17 he
encourages them to be strong in the Spirit. In chapter 4:30 he admonishes
them: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”. And in chapter 5:18 (NKJV) Paul,
as an authorized apostle, calls the Ephesians and us to: “… be filled with
the Spirit” or “let yourselves be continuously and repeatedly filled again
with the Spirit”. 11 We see that even if we received the Holy Spirit when we
were born again, that we in general need a daily refreshing. Therefore, it is
important for the spiritual life and growth of a Christian, that they be daily
filled with the Holy Spirit.
9 Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, November 21, 1895, par. 3

10 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (1911) p. 56.1

Our Sabbath School Study Guide says the following about Ephesians 5:18:
“What does it mean ‘to be baptized’ with the Holy Spirit? Jesus personally
explained this with a synonym. A person is ‘baptized’ with the Holy Spirit
(Act 1:5) when the Holy Spirit ‘has come upon’ them (v. 8). To be baptized
means to be fully immersed in something—usually water. This involves the
whole person. Baptism with the Holy Spirit means to be completely under
the inﬂuence of the Holy Spirit—to be completely ‘filled’ by Him. This isn’t
a one-time experience, but rather something that has to be continually
repeated, as Paul illustrates in Ephesians 5:18b with the tense of the Greek
verb ‘filled’. ” 12
JESUS’ FAREWELL WORDS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

In Jesus’ farewell words He conveyed joy and hope by telling them that the
Holy Spirit would come in His place. Jesus tells the disciples something sur-
prising in John 16:7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage
that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but
if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
A NEW ADVANTAGEOUS SOLUTION

Jesus told the disciples something surprising: “It is to your advantage that I
go away.” This means that the new solution, that He is with us through the
Holy Spirit, is more advantageous than Jesus being personally present. In
this way He isn’t limited, but rather He can be by each person, no matter
where He currently is.
A PERSONAL TESTIMONY FROM A TEACHER

AND ONE OF HER STUDENTS:
When the booklet Steps to Personal Revival from H. Haubeil was handed out
in my home church about a year ago, I read it through very quickly. Already
while reading it I had more experiences with God than ever before—this
fascinated and encouraged me.
12 Sabbath School Study Guide July 17, 2014
23
In the booklet’s appendix I found the following suggestion: “Pedagogical
research has shown that it is necessary to read or listen six to ten times to a
vital topic till we have thoroughly understood it.”
These encouraging words captivated my attention: “Try it at least once.
The result will convince you.”
I wanted to experience that and already by the third reading it seized me
and I felt a great love for our Redeemer, which I had yearned for my whole
life. Within two months I had read it through six times and the result was
worth it.
It was as if I could understand what it would be like when Jesus comes
close to us and we can look into His pure, kind and loving eyes. From then
on I didn’t want to be without this joy in our Savior.
When I woke up in the morning I already yearned for my morning wor-
ship time in order to again experience fellowship with God and during the
day I prayed quietly that the Holy Spirit would help me with my thoughts
during conversations, my example, while teaching and communicating.
When a child craved attention and acted accordingly, God gave me
strength and wisdom to deal with it.
Since then my work days are filled with the presence of the Creator. He
helps me literally in my everyday life. Since then I pray in the morning and
in between times for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is as if you are
closer to heaven and can already taste what it will be like there.
While reading the booklet the thought came to me that my students in
the school should also share in this experience. I teach the 10–15 year-olds
in our Elijah Adventist School in Vorarlberg, Austria. So I prayed for God to
give me opportunities. Very soon afterwards I had one of my most wonder-
ful experiences with how the Holy Spirit can work in young p eople’s hearts.
A 13 YEAR-OLD RUFFIAN AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

The experience started a year before I read the booklet on the Holy Spirit.
A new student came to our school and within a few days our peaceful oasis
was changed into a rough scuffle room. The boy was 13 years-old then—he
was the biggest of all the children and correspondingly strong. Many things
that had been learned during the school year and had brought wonderful
fruit seemed to disappear in a moment.
Let him share it in his own words: “When I came to my present school,
I had no idea what awaited me. On my second day of school I let myself

get provoked, snapped and started a fight with one of my classmates. I hit
him even though he was considerably weaker than I was, berated him and
never wanted to see him again.
Later I realized my mistake and apologized, just as I always had in the past.
After that I had a conversation with the headmaster. In the next months a
process started in me. It is astonishing that this process had only now started
since I was a pastor’s son. I started to spend more time with Jesus.”
I thought that this young person would need extra special attention.
He was aware of his failure, regretted it and tried again, but he didn’t have
long-lasting success in his own strength. At first, hardly a day would go by
when he wasn’t in a fight, but gradually it got better.
After 6 months he said he thought it was the prayers that had brought
him closer to God. In the meantime he had started praying for strength in
the morning. His fits of rage and fights became less frequent.
Eleven months had now gone by since he came to our school and we
could see even more improvements. But his anger, his swearing outbursts
and his fists weren’t permanently under control.
It was only natural: he tried to win in his own strength and understand-
ing, which worked sometimes and other times not at all. Our prayers had
made some achievement, but his mindset still wasn’t right and the renew-
ing power of the Spirit was missing.
What good does it do, when a person sees their mistakes, tries to control
their temper and in the next moment fails again? Just at the time when I
realized that I was at my wits’ end, I received the booklet mentioned above.
It came at just the right time. Then I realized what we were missing. It was
the power of the Holy Spirit. We hadn’t even asked Him to help us!
Since I had been touched by the message of Steps to Personal Revival I
got up my courage to ask the boy if he had ever prayed for the Holy Spirit.
No—he never had. Then I tried to awaken his interest in the booklet. I didn’t
give it to him though. He should really want it. And very soon he did ask for
the booklet.
Again in his own words: “In November 2012 my teacher gave me the
booklet Steps to Personal Revival. I eagerly started to read it. At that time I
wasn’t really acquainted with the work of the Holy Spirit.”
Within the first day he had already devoured almost two chapters and
then he asked me how many times I had read it. He immediately started
to read the chapters again and wanted to do exactly what the booklet sug-
gested: reading it 6–10 times.
25
Since then a lot has changed. From December 2012 on there weren’t any
more fist fights or scuffles—I could hardly believe it. The boys that he had
beaten up every day became his friends and they get along harmoniously.
He has completely changed—he is polite and even obliging and peace-
fulness has taken over his aggressive nature. His classmates can confirm
that God was at work. You can see the fruits every day. To God’s glory I want
to mention that the boy decided to get baptized in June 2013. If that wasn’t
the Holy Spirit...?!
I had always thought that I could manage a child and make him see rea-
son. Patience, attention and lots of talks would do it, but it just didn’t work
long-term. God had to intervene and taught me that it is His Spirit who
makes the impossible possible.
Someday when this boy is in heaven, then I will know that God brought
it about. When I was at the end of my wisdom and finally understood that
I couldn’t guide him, then God started to radically work on him. It encour-
ages me to see that there are no hopeless cases for God. C. P.
Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for Jesus’ urgent invitation to

ask for the Holy Spirit. I am sorry for the losses I have experienced
because of a lack of the Holy Spirit. I need divine assistance so that
Jesus can become greater in me. I need His help in every area of my
life. Thank you that the Holy Spirit can change my character and can
make me fit for God’s kingdom. I completely surrender myself to you
with all that I am and have. Thank you for accepting me and giving
me your blessings. Help me to grow in knowledge about the Holy
Spirit. Amen.

JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT | DAY 2

1. What word did Jesus use most often when He taught about prayer?
(Luke 11:1-13—the Lord’s Prayer, parable, appeal?)
2. What problem in the parable about perseverance in prayer caused Jesus

to make the appeal that we ask for the Holy Spirit?
3. What impresses you the most about Jesus’ appeal to ask for the Holy
Spirit? What can we learn from His example?
4. How is our commitment to God manifested in our daily lives?
Our Prayer Time

1. that we will daily be aware that we need to ask by faith for the Holy
Spirit in order to receive Him.
2. for “thirst”, so that we go more often to the living fountain.
3. for an even clearer picture of Jesus and to learn from Him—how we
can keep a close connection with our heavenly Father.
27
Day 3 CHAPTER 2
WHAT IS THE CENTER

OF OUR PROBLEMS?
Is there a spiritual cause behind our problems?

Is the cause a lack of the Holy Spirit?
WHY IS THERE A LACK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

The Bible’s answer is: “Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask
and do not receive, because you ask amiss (according to the carnal mind,
Rom 8:5-7), that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (Jas 4:2,3 NKJV)
Our Lord Jesus invited us lovingly and insistently to ask for the Holy
Spirit (Luke 11:9-13). We understand that we should do this continually. In
the third chapter we will look at this more closely.
“They talk about Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit.
They do not surrender the soul to be guided and controlled by the divine
agencies.” 13
We have been praying for a revival for some time. This is very valuable.
Ellen G. White said: “It is this baptism of the Holy Spirit that the churches
need today.” 14 “Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit,
since this is the means by which we are to receive power? Why do we not
talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it?” 15
13 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p. 672

14 Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases vol. 7 p. 267
15 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church vol. 8 (www.egwwritings.org), p. 22
28 CHAPTER 2 WHAT IS THE CENTER OF OUR PROBLEMS?

It is good that we pray for revival, but we shouldn’t only pray for it, but
rather—as Mark Finley says—it is “as well put into practice the biblical ele-
ments of revival.” 16 May I invite you to take the necessary steps to experi-
ence personal revival? For many this will lead to a more powerful and ful-
filled life.
To start with, we want to analyze the problem. We want to do this thor-
oughly; otherwise there is the danger that we will consider a change nei-
ther necessary nor important. After that we want to look at God’s solution,
which offers us tremendous blessing and finally, how we can implement
this and experience this.
Our lack of the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that everything we have done
and are doing is in vain. There were and are many very good plans and
programs. The Lord has surely blessed our human efforts. But how much
greater the results and how much better the situation could be, if we would
actually live more closely with the Holy Spirit? Only God knows that.
It would have gone in this direction and would go in this direction in the
future as Henry T. Blackaby expressed it:
“He (God) could do more in six months with a people that are devoted to
Him, than we could do in sixty years without Him.” 17
It is the question of immediately going the right way under God’s lead-
ership and thus having much greater effectiveness (efficiency). That is the
case when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Example: Someone holds a sermon. He has finished speaking - maybe
no- one, a few, many or all accept the message. If many or all accepted the
message and put it into practice, then this is great effectiveness. This is
something the Holy Spirit gives.
THREE GROUPS OF PEOPLE AND THEIR PERSONAL

RELATIONSHIPS TO GOD
God’s Word differentiates between three groups of people in respect to
their personal relationships with God. Within each of these groups there
are many different shades depending on the parental training, character,
16 Mark A. Finley, Revive us again, p. 25

17 Henry T. Blackaby, Den Willen Gottes erkennen und tun (Experiencing God: Knowing and
Doing the Will of God), (Kassel, 2002), S. 31
29
training of oneself, age, culture, education, etc. But even with all the differ-
ences there are only three basic attitudes towards God:
No relationship—the Bible calls this the natural or wordly man.
Full, real relationship—the Bible calls this person spiritual or spirit filled.
Divided or feigned relationship—the Bible describes this as a person of
the flesh or carnal.
The terms “natural”, “spiritual” and “carnal” in God’s Word are not eval-
uations in this case. They merely describe a person’s personal relationship
to God.
These three groups are described in 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 and 1 Corin-
thians 3:1-4. Right now we only want to touch lightly on the subject of the
natural man. He lives in the world. A quick glance at the two groups within
the church will help us realize where the problem is mainly hidden. The
most important thing to realize is to which group I myself belong. Thus our
examination also helps our self-diagnosis. We want to take a look at our
own lives and not the lives of others.
What is the criteria for designation to one group or the other? What
determines which group I am currently in? We will see that in all three
groups the designation occurs according to one’s personal relationship
with the Holy Spirit.
THE NATURAL MAN

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they
are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.” (1 Cor 2:14 NKJV)
The natural man has absolutely no relationship with the Holy Spirit.
He lives in the world and doesn’t inquire about God at all or only rarely
inquires about God.
SPIRITUAL AND CARNAL ARE IN THE CHURCH

These two groups are mainly introduced in 1 Corinthians 2 and 3 as well
as in Romans 8:1-17 and Galatians 4 and 6. We need to note that the crite-
rion for these two groups is their relationship to the Holy Spirit. This is so,
because God has stipulated that the Holy Spirit is our only connection to

heaven. (The Desire of Ages, p. 322; Matt 12:32) “The heart must be open to
the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received.” 18
THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH MEMBER

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 2:15-16: “But he who is spiritual judges all things,
yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the
LORD that he may instruct Him? (Isa 40:13) But we have the mind of Christ.“
(NKJV) “The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but
such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, Who has known
the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
(NIV)
The spiritual person is the true Christian. He is called “spiritual“, because
he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Here too, the relationship with the Holy
Spirit is the criteria needed for the designation of a spiritual person. He
has a good and growing relationship with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is “in the
center of his life”; we also say sometimes that Jesus reigns in our hearts.
The spiritual person has committed himself essentially and completely to
Jesus and as a general rule this is confirmed daily by surrendering himself
to Jesus every morning with everything he is and has. In the message to
the Laodicean church, this Christian is called “hot”, in the parable about
the 10 virgins he is called “wise”. Romans 8:1-17 and Galatians 5 say even
more about him. He experiences life “more abundantly” (John 10:10) or as
Paul expresses it: “That you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph
3:19; Col 2:9)
THE CARNAL CHURCH MEMBER

A person can be a member for a short time or for many years and still be a
carnal Christian. If to your surprise you find that you are a carnal Christian
at the moment, then don’t be upset about it, but rather be glad, because
you have the possibility of changing it immediately. You will experience
great joy through a life with the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that most
carnal Christians are unknowingly in this condition and have a desire to
experience more in their faith. Their ignorance is often not even their fault.
18 Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, 95.1 (egwwritings.org)
31
Consider: you will experience great joy through a life with Christ in your
heart through the Holy Spirit. (Jesus in John 15:11: “and that your joy may
be full.”) Through this change you will step by step experience life abun-
dantly (Jesus in John 10:10—more on this later) and you will have well-
founded hope for eternal life.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please make me willing to ask myself this

question. If I am a carnal Christian, then please help me to real-
ize this right away. Make me willing to be willing for everything you
want. Please lead me to a happy Christian life—to the promised life in
abundance and to eternal life. Please renew my heart. Thank you for
answering my prayer. Amen.
Let’s read what the apostle Paul had to say to carnal church members
in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (NKJV): “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and
not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now
you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife,
and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
For when one says, ‘I am of Paul’, and another, ‘I am of A pollos’, are you not
carnal?”
Can you clearly see here that the criteria for the designation into this
group is the personal relationship with the Holy Spirit? In these few verses
the apostle Paul mentions four times that they are carnal. What does carnal
mean? It means: this person lives from the power of the flesh, that is the
normal strength and abilities a person has. Furthermore, it means that he
isn’t filled with the Holy Spirit or isn’t sufficiently filled with the Holy Spirit.
Some people think this group only consists of people who live in blatant
sin. But that is only one of the many shades within this group. I want to
stress again that there are a lot of differences within each of these groups.
Paul addressed the carnal people as “dear brothers”. This shows that he
was dealing with church members. Paul couldn’t speak to them “as to spiri-
tual people”. That means that: They weren’t filled with the Holy Spirit or
weren’t sufficiently filled with the Holy Spirit. He had to speak to them “as
babes in Christ”. This shows that they haven’t grown in faith as they should

have. A person can have great biblical knowledge and still not grow spiritu-
ally. Spiritual growth has to do with our complete dedication to Jesus and a
constant life in the Holy Spirit.
Many carnal Christians feel dissatisfaction, disappointment, purpose-
lessness or are under constant stress in their spiritual life.
Other carnal church members have gotten used to this condition or are
satisfied with this condition. They might say: “We are just sinners! We can’t
do anything about it!”
Again other carnal Christians might be enthusiastic. They are glad
that they know Biblical truth. Carnal church members can be very active
and even have leading positions in the local church or even in the church
administration. They may even do a lot for God.
Matt 7:22-23 (NKJV): “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice iniquity!’”
Where did the problem lie? Jesus said that He didn’t know them. They
didn’t have a real relationship with Christ, but rather only a feigned rela-
tionship. Either there hadn’t been a real commitment or it hadn’t been
maintained. Jesus didn’t live in their hearts through the Holy Spirit. Thus
they had no personal relationship with Christ. “So there may be an appar-
ent connection with Christ …” 19 When is Christ NOT in us? I have read some
serious words about this. Before I mention them, I want to point out that
we can be free from the following things if we live a life with the Holy Spirit:
“A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the
profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by
words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s
burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by con-
forming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own
opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and
dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in
them.” 20
This can quickly change by the grace of God. We will come back to this in
the third and fifth section.
19 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p. 676

20 E.G.White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p.357.2—Das Leben Jesu, S. 349 [357]
33
WHY IS SURRENDERING OUR LIVES AND MAKING
A COMMITMENT TO GOD IMPORTANT?
God’s Word says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1 NKJV)
“God desires to heal us, to set us free [from the tyranny of our ego and
the bondage of sin]. But since this requires an entire transformation, a
renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.” 21
Our ego is offended, jealous, annoyed, resentful, etc. God wants to free us
of these attitudes.
“He [God] invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in
us. It remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage
of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God.” 22
God answers our basic commitment with rebirth (John 3:1-21). After that
it has to do with staying surrendered (John 15:1-17). We’ll talk about this
more in the third section.
Morris Venden says about surrendering our lives to God: “There is no
such thing as a partial surrender. It’s no more possible to be partially sur-
rendered than it is possible to be a little bit pregnant. Either you are or you
aren’t. There is no middle ground.” 23
Ellen White said the following about daily surrender:“Only those who
will become co-workers with Christ, only those who will say, Lord, all I have
and all I am is Thine, will be acknowledged as sons and daughters of God.” 24
So a person can be in the church and still be lost. How tragic! (The par-
able about the 10 virgins and the message to the Laodicea church also illus-
trate this.)
WHY IS CARNAL CHRISTIANITY SO DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY?

Since a carnal person’s life is filled with “religion”, he often doesn’t realize
that he is missing something vital: an intimate and saving relationship with
God. If Christ isn’t allowed to govern our whole life, then He is standing in
21 Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (1892), p. 43.2

22 Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (1892) p. 43.4
23 Morris Venden, 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith (Pacific Press, 1987), p. 63
24 Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 523

“ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God,that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service.
front of the door knocking (Rev 3:20). And He says: If this doesn’t change,
then I will spit you out.
And something else plays a part. Through our strong doctrinal founda-
„
tion, which is based on the Bible, we have strong convictions. (At the same
time we still want to stay open to further insights.) We have the certainty
that we believe the truth; that thrills us. We have a lot of good knowledge.
We say the right things. That is what makes it so difficult to identify the car-
nal problem. Doesn’t it play a role if I have ever really lived with the Holy
Spirit? If not, then can I even notice the difference?
A pastor wrote: “I just received a call from a sister who is taking part in
our 40 Days prayer time. (Particulars about the 40 Days prayer time are in
chapter 5.) She said that it has changed her life. She had wondered her
whole life what was missing in her spiritual life and now she knew—the
Holy Spirit. I wish you could have heard her testimony. She said that she
noticed for the first time in her life that she has a relationship with God. …
Others have also already noticed the change in her life.” 25 We can see that a
person can notice that something is missing, but doesn’t know what. Many
have a desire for more and don’t know what it is or how to get it.
I am thankful that 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 uses the word “still” three times.
“For you are still carnal.” This shows us that it is possible for the carnal per-
son to become spiritual. No one has to remain carnal. As long as a person
takes time for matters of faith he has a good chance to realize this and
change it. We will talk later about how you can become spiritual.
Another aspect to consider is envy and strife or as the NIV says: “There is
jealousy and quarreling among you.” This behavior proves to Paul that the
carnal church members are not living through God’s Spirit, but rather act-
ing carnally—just like other people. They can act just like natural people;
albeit in religious packaging. Does this mean that tensions in the church
25 Email an H. Haubeil—received on February 15, 2012
35
stem mainly from carnal-minded church members? (See Jude v. 19) In
Jesus’ day, didn’t the Pharisees and Sadducees compete with one other?
This means that already back then there were tensions between the con-
servatives and the liberals/progressives. One group was very particular and
the other interpreted things more loosely. But both were convinced that
they had the correct Bible interpretation and attitude. But Jesus showed us
that both groups were carnal, meaning: not filled with the Holy Spirit. The
same thing is possible today—conservative Christians can also be carnal
Christians.
Unfortunately, people today often look through the glasses of “conser-
vative or liberal/progressive”. The advantage is that the observer comes
off well. However, with the biblical classification of “carnal or spiritual” we
are challenged to take a spiritual inventory. We should do this for our own
good. Consider what God clearly tells us in Galatians 6:7,8 NKJV: “… what-
ever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of
the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasting life.”
The carnal person wants to follow Jesus and please Him, but he hasn’t
surrendered his whole life to Jesus or if he has, then he has backslidden
somehow. (Gal 3:3; Rev 2:4,5) That means that he, maybe unconsciously,
wants to live according to God’s will and his own wishes simultaneously.
But that doesn’t work. Ultimately he is carrying his own life in his hands. As
the saying goes, there are two souls dwelling in his breast. Can God send the
Holy Spirit in such a case? James 4:3 NKJV gives this answer: “You ask and
do not receive, because you ask amiss.” I have come to the conclusion that it
means asking with a carnal attitude. Wouldn’t an answer to such a request
only boost the ego? Consequently, this church member is living through
normal human powers and abilities. In Revelation 3:16 this is called “luke-
warm” and in Matt 25 “foolish”.
WHY DOES JESUS CALL THE CARNAL CHURCH

MEMBERS LUKEWARM?
Why is it that so many Christians are lacking an experience with the Holy
Spirit? In order to answer this question, we will first have to take a look at
the Laodicea phenomenon. Why did Jesus call the believers in the Laodicea
church lukewarm? He gave us a clear indicator: “Behold, I stand at the door
and knock.” (Rev 3:20) Jesus wasn’t the center of the lives of the believers,

but rather outside. He was standing outside in front of the door. Why didn’t
He go in? Because He hadn’t been invited. He doesn’t force His way in,
because He respects our free will decision.
Why do believers leave Jesus outside in front of the door? There are dif-
ferent causes and reasons for this. Some only move on a purely intellectual
and cognitive plane in their spiritual lives, like the scribe Nicodemus, and
don’t understand what the Christian life is all about. (Compare with John
3:1-10). For others the “price” of discipleship is too high, they have to give
up too much, like the “rich young ruler”. (Compare with Matt 19:16-24) To
follow Jesus requires self-denial and the willingness to change one’s life
(compare with Matt 16:24,25) and completely surrender oneself to God
(Rom 12:1). Leaving Jesus outside can be caused by pure negligence—
insufficient time in personal fellowship with Jesus.
I repeat: the reason for the lukewarmness in Revelation 3:20 is: “Behold,
I stand at the door.” Jesus is not in the center of their lives, but rather out-
side or on the sidelines. So the lukewarmness relates to the personal rela-
tionship with Christ. In other areas the person concerned definitely doesn’t
have to be lukewarm.
An example: A man can invest a lot in his vocation and at the same time
neglect his wife. He is committed to his job, but lukewarm in his marriage
relationship. A person can even be a committed church member, a diligent
church leader or pastor or president and still be lukewarm in his relation-
ship with Christ. The person is so dedicated to accomplishing a lot of tasks,
that he neglects his personal relationship with Christ. This is the luke-
warmness that Jesus wants removed. It is tragic that a person can be so
busy with God’s work (in the church and mission work) that He neglects the
Lord of the work.
THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

What does Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins show us in respect to the spiri-
tual and carnal church members?
All 10 were virgins
All had pure biblical beliefs
All had lamps
All had the Bible
All of them went to meet the bridegroom
All of them looked forward to the 2nd coming
37
All of them went to sleep
All heard the call and woke up
All prepared their lamps
All the lamps were burning
Half of them noticed that their lamps were going out
All of them prepared their lamps and all of the lamps were burning; but
burning lamps need oil. Energy was used. After a short time five of them
noticed that their lamps were going out. The lamps of the foolish virgins
that only burned for a short time show us that they did have something
from the Holy Spirit. But it wasn’t enough. There was too little oil. That was
the only difference.
When the five came asking to be let in, Jesus answered: “I do not know
you.” They were too late in attending to the oil, the Holy Spirit. The door
remained closed.
Jesus’ statement shows us that our personal relationship with Him has
something to do with the Holy Spirit. Whoever doesn’t let himself be led by
the Holy Spirit won’t be acknowledged by Jesus. In Romans 8:8,9 it says:
“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. … if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
Actually, we only have a real personal relationship with Jesus through
the Holy Spirit. 1 John 3:24 says: “And by this we know that He [Jesus] abides
in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” This means that the assurance I
have that I am filled with the Holy Spirit is at the same time the assurance
that I am in Jesus and He is in me.
This is exactly the experience a sister had, who took part in the 40 Days
prayer time. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit in her life she experi-
enced her relationship with God in a completely different way and others
noticed the change in her life. A sister from southern Germany wrote the
following after she had studied this booklet: “Together the book ‘40 Days—
Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming’ by Dennis Smith
and this booklet have become a great and long-awaited blessing in my life.
Just like many other church members and a sister from our church have
experienced, something was always missing in our faith experience and
now we have the privilege of experiencing how Jesus has entered our lives

and has begun to change us. He is still working on us and step by step is
drawing us closer to Him.” 26
A brother wrote the following: The booklet Steps to Personal Revival
deeply touched me. The chapter on the ten virgins and especially on
Romans 8:9b: ‘Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not
His’ greatly shocked me. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if I had the Holy Spirit and
if He was working in me, because I am painfully missing the corresponding
“fruits” in my life. This Sabbath afternoon I finished reading the booklet and
an infinitely deep sadness overwhelmed me. Then I read the prayer on page
110 and a deep desire rose in me to receive the Holy Spirit, that my heart
would be changed and that God the Father would change me according to
His will. …Thank you for the booklet and the words, which deeply moved
me.” A. P.
The greatest tragedy for the carnal Christian is that he won‘t receive
eternal life if his condition doesn’t change. “Now if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Rom 8:9b)
Now to summarize: The main difference between the spiritual and the
carnal church member has to do with the Holy Spirit. The spiritual Christian
is filled with the Holy Spirit. The carnal Christian isn’t or isn’t sufficiently
Should you realize that you are a carnal Christian, then don’t be angry.
God is offering you a remedy: the Holy Spirit.
In some circles, certain gifts of the Holy Spirit are overemphasized; on
the other hand, in other circles, the Holy Spirit is neglected. May our dear
Lord help us to follow his Holy Word, and neither go to one extreme or the
other.
26 Email from March 31, 2013
39
STRIKING WORDS
Like a glass of cold water

The book Steps to Personal Revival is like a glass of cold water. If a man will
drink, it will refresh him. If you pour that cold water on a sleepy person, it
works like an electric shock. Thanks writer, thanks bearer for sending our
church this book. Personally I got many blessings from this book.
T. B. from Pakistan, #80
The Holy Spirit on the “driver’s seat” avoids “accidents”

I have read the Steps to Personal Revival book four times and will be read-
ing it at least twice more. It was a blessing. I preached the last Sabbath (I
am a layman). I now have a greater inner freedom to read in the Bible and
the EGW-books. I have a different attitude now. I want the Holy Ghost to
sit in the driver’s seat. If I had done that years ago, how many “accidents”
would I have avoided!
P. M. EE 210719 from USA, #117
Oil in the lamp

Anyone who follows the suggestions of the booklet Steps to Personal Revival
certainly has the necessary oil in his lamp.
H. K. from Germany, #73
Return to the basics

Thank you again for helping us to return to the basics!
J. S. 231118 excerpt, #97
“For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound,

who will prepare for battle.”
(1 Corinthians 14,8)

WHAT IS THE CENTER OF OUR PROBLEMS? | DAY 3

1. What is probably the cause for the lack of the Holy Spirit?
2. There are three groups of people that are defined by their relationship
with God. What are the characteristics of each group?
The natural person: ________________________________
The carnal person: _________________________________
The spiritual person: ________________________________
3. What factor determines which group I am in?
4. Why is commitment to God so important?
5. What was the difference between the five wise virgins and the five foolish
virgins?
Our Prayer Time

1. that God will show you what you are lacking.
2. for a spiritual heart.
3. for the capacity to realize and admit it if you are a carnal
person at the moment and for God’s help to change.
41
Day 4 What is the main problem
with being a carnal Christian?
COMPARISON: THE EARLY CHURCH

AND THE CHURCH IN THE END TIMES
When we compare the early church with the present day church, we
observe that the early church must have been predominantly made up of
spiritual people. The book of Acts shows that this was the reason for their
quick and positive development. They had no other aid. But they had the
Holy Spirit. We have excellent aids in abundance. But we have a deficiency
of the Holy Spirit.
Remember what A. W. Tozer said: “If the Holy Spirit were taken away
from our church today, 95 % of what we do would continue and no one
would notice the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from
the early church, then 95 % (this means almost everything) of what they
were doing would have stopped and everyone would have noticed the
difference.” 27
HAVE WE LEARNED TO GET ALONG WITHOUT

THE HOLY SPIRIT? DOES THE CHURCH TODAY CONSIST
PRIMARILY OF CARNAL CHRISTIANS?
As a consequence, are we often powerless and to a large extent without
victories in spiritual matters? Does a carnal attitude have something to do
with the fact that we only have weak church growth in many places? Do
many of the serious problems in many areas come from carnal attitudes?
We will notice more and more that personally and collectively our central
problem is the lack of the Holy Spirit. In the personal area we can quickly
change this with God’s help.
The following statement made for ministers naturally applies to every
one. Johannes Mager says: “Paul differentiates between spiritual and car-
nal Christians, between those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and those
27 Dr. S. Joseph Kidder, Anleitung zum geistlichen Leben (Andrews University), PPP Folie 2

who have no room for the Holy Spirit in their lives: baptized with the Holy
Spirit, but not filled with the Holy Spirit.
For a minister this means that: I can have sound theological training,
be well-versed in the basic biblical languages and to be able to skillfully
practice exegesis; I can have received the great biblical truths intellectually
and understood them and be confident in the dogmatic theology of differ-
ent centuries; I can have a sound grasp of homiletics and preach relevant
and realistic sermons - yet despite all my knowledge and talents, I can be
devoid of the Holy Spirit. Books, education, good technical equipment,
even charisma form a substitute for the missing Spirit-filled life.
Preaching, praying publically, organizing church life, preparing evange-
listic programs, giving pastoral counseling—these all can be learned and
also put into practice without the Holy Spirit. Ellen G. White described this
dangerous possibility as follows: “The reason why there is so little of the
Spirit of God manifested is that ministers learn to do without it.” 28 As impor-
tant as a basic education and systematic ongoing training is for a preacher,
it is even more important for him that he let himself constantly be refilled
by the Holy Spirit. 29
To summarize: Being carnal means living by normal human powers
and abilities without the Holy Spirit or an insufficient quantity of the
Holy Spirit.
WHAT IS THE MAIN OBSTACLE IN CARNAL CHRISTIANITY?

The great ethics of the Bible—loving your enemy, forgiving people for
everything, overcoming sin, etc.—can only be achieved by the power of the
Holy Spirit, not with human effort. This shows us that the main problem in
carnal Christianity is that it is a life depending solely in human strength.
We can’t do God’s will in our own strength. Let’s read a few Bible verses on
this topic:
Isaiah 64:6 NKJV: “And all our righteousness are like filthy rags.”
28 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, (1868), p. 383.1

29 Johannes Mager, Auf den Spuren des Heiligen Geistes (Following the Steps of the Holy
Spirit), (Lüneberg, 1999), S. 102-103. Johannes Mager was a pastor, evangelist and a
professor of systematic theology for many years. He worked last as secretary of the
ministerial department of the Euro-African Division (now: Inter-European Division)
in Bern, Switzerland.
43
Jeremiah 13:23 NKJV: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard
its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 NKJV: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you …I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My stat-
utes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
Romans 8:7 NKJV: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for
it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” And NIV: “The mind
governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor
can it do so.”
Ellen White said very clearly and accurately: “He who is trying to reach
heaven by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility.
Man cannot be saved without obedience, but his works should not be of him-
self; Christ should work in him to will and to do of his good pleasure.” 30
I think these references show sufficiently that we are not capable of doing
God’s will without the Holy Spirit. Our main concern is that we always need to
make a decision for God’s will and that God gives us the strength to implement
it. This understanding of the doctrine of righteousness by faith is extremely
important and liberating. However, we can’t discuss it in detail here.
WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO DO

SOMETHING THAT EXCEEDS THEIR STRENGTH?
What happens when I realize: I can’t do it! I’ve failed again! These experi-
ences are probably accompanied by disappointment.
I think this problem is much more prominent in the younger genera-
tion than in the older one. Older people are used to a stronger sense of
duty, obedience in the family, school and business. Thus they aren’t as eas-
ily annoyed by a disappointment as younger people are. But the problem
is equally present in young and old. The younger person notices it more
distinctly. Traveling the path of faith in their own strength is the foremost
problem of every carnal Christian, whether he knows it or not.
How do we try to solve this problem? One person may pray more
intensely for God’s help and decide to try harder. Another person may think
that we shouldn’t be so narrow-minded. Now he starts to take things more
casually and feels freer. Still another completely abandons his faith and
30 Ellen G. White, Review and Herald,July 1, 1890

may even feel better. The only problem is that these apparent solutions
are false solutions, because the consequences will come sooner or later.
The correct way is to take God’s laws seriously, because they were given in
love and are for our own good. However, we need God’s strength for this.
The right way is to live in the power of the Holy Spirit with increasing joy,
motivation, strength, fruitfulness and victory.
THE CENTRAL PROBLEM

I think we have recognized that this mostly has to do with carnal Christian-
ity. Isn’t it becoming clearer and clearer why Jesus doesn’t want any luke-
warm followers? They don’t have life in abundance like God wants to give
us and they are a bad example even though most of them don’t even know
it. The problem is much more serious than we think. “Half-hearted Chris-
tians are worse than infidels; for their deceptive words and noncommittal
position lead many astray.” 31
In the book Christ our Righteousness by Arthur G. Daniells we read the
following: “But formalism is most deceptive and ruinous. It is the hidden,
unsuspected rock upon which, through the centuries, the church has so
often been well-nigh wrecked. Paul warns us that a ‘form of godliness’,
without the power of God will be one of the perils of the last days, and
admonishes us to turn away from the deceptive, bewitching thing.” 32
POSSIBLE FACTORS LEADING TO CARNAL CHRISTIANITY

The following factors or reasons are things which can lead to carnal Chris-
tianity:
1. Ignorance—We haven’t devoted ourselves enough to the topic of “life with
the Holy Spirit” or we haven’t found the key for putting it into practice.
2. Unbelief or Small of Faith—The prerequisite for being filled with the
Holy Spirit is the complete surrender of one’s life to Jesus Christ. Failing
to surrender completely could happen because of ignorance, or maybe
because we are afraid that the Lord will lead us differently than what we
want. This means that we don’t trust God’s love and wisdom enough.
31 EGW Letter 44, 1903, quoted in Adv. Bible Commentary, vol.7, p. 963 on Rev. 3: 15,16
32 Arthur G. Daniells, Christ our Righteousness, p. 30, Christus unsere Gerechtigkeit
(Hamburg 1962), S.20
45
3. Erroneous Notions—A person can think they are filled with the Holy
Spirit, even though they aren’t in reality or not sufficiently. This seems to
be the most frequent problem.
4. Being too Busy—People are so overburdened that they think they don‘t
have any or enough time to maintain a relationship with Christ. Or they
take the time, but don’t make any progress in connecting with God.
5. Hidden Sins—Not confessing and repenting, possibly also missing resti-
tution, can be like a short-circuit, meaning there is no connection with
God’s power.
6. Fear of people—A person can be so filled with the culture of the day that
they don’t have the courage to live out the principles of faith.
7. Act mostly according to their feelings - God’s word says: “The righteous live
by faith”. Do I make decisions by trusting God or according to my feelings?
This statement from Roger Morneau really impressed me: “The spirits
would encourage people to listen to their feelings instead of the word of
Christ and His prophets. In no surer way could the spirits obtain control of
people’s lives without the individuals realizing what was happening.” 33
WHY SHOULD I ASK FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT?

AFTERALL, I RECEIVED HIM AT MY BAPTISM.
IS THERE A PROBLEM HERE?
On the one hand, the Holy Spirit was given to us in order to stay in us. On
the other hand, we should continually ask by faith for the Holy Spirit. How
do we solve this apparent contradiction?
On the one hand:

Jesus said in John 14:17 NKJV: “For He [the Holy Spirit] dwells with you and
will be in you.” Acts 2:38 NKJV says: “Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized … and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
On the other hand:

When Jesus taught about prayer, He said in Luke 11:9-13 (NKJV): “… ask,
and it will be given to you; … how much more will your heavenly Father give
33 Roger Morneau, A Trip into the Supernatural, Review and Herald 1982, p. 43

the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Ephesians 5:18 says: “… be filled with
the Spirit.” In both cases in the original Greek text, it is a continual request.
Solution:
Ellen G. White says: “Yet the operations of the Spirit are always in harmony
with the written word. As in the natural, so in the spiritual world. The natu-
ral life is preserved moment by moment by divine power; yet it is not sus-
tained by a direct miracle, but through the use of blessings placed within
our reach. So the spiritual life is sustained by the use of those means that
Providence has supplied. If the follower of Christ would grow up ‘unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Eph
4:13), he must eat of the bread of life and drink of the water of salvation. He
must watch and pray and work, in all things giving heed to the instructions
of God in His word.” 34
We received life at our birth. In order to sustain this life we have to eat,
drink, exercise, etc. It is exactly the same in our spiritual life. We have the
Holy Spirit through our baptism by water and the Spirit (we were ‘born
again’) so that this spiritual life remains in us our whole life. In order to
sustain this spiritual life it is necessary to use the spiritual means that God
provided: the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, prayer, our testimony, etc.
Jesus said in John 15:4: “Abide in me, and I in you.” Ellen G. White says
concerning this: “Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit,
a life of unreserved surrender to His service.” 35
That is why we need to daily ask for the Holy Spirit by faith and surrender
ourselves to the Lord every morning with everything we have and are.
WHERE DO I STAND?
Now the most important thing is to discern which group I am in. Where do
I stand?
When my dear mother was 20 she answered a man’s question by saying
that she wasn’t interested in faith. He then replied: And if you died in the
night? This comment hit her hard. But it had a very positive effect. It led her
to make a decision for Jesus and His church. Maybe this question will help
you too:
34 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (1911), p. 284.2

35 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p. 676.2
47
Suppose … you died today …! (heart attack? accident?)
Do you have the assurance of eternal life with Jesus Christ?
Don’t remain uncertain.
OUR HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON THIS

I am very alarmed as I have begun to understand the great magnitude of this
problem. I have thought and prayed about whether I should really add this
paragraph or not. I decided to take the chance since it is a matter of happiness
in life now and eternal life and it also especially has an influence on our mar-
riages and families as well as our churches and our occupations. I don’t know
who it applies to. But I want to be of help to the persons concerned, since I
have been helped as well. It is crucial that everyone who is carnal realizes this,
or he will not be able to ask for God’s help to change. God in His love wants to
richly bless us through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the
Holy Spirit. As a result great loss can be avoided and immeasurable blessing
can be experienced. And the wonderful thing is that we can quickly remedy
the situation with God’s help. (In more detail in chapters 3 and 5)
The problem of carnal Christianity is described in the Bible in different
ways. Individual groups and the people in the groups can have very differ-
ent focal points, but the central problem is the same. The different descrip-
tions are:
“in the flesh or carnal”—Rom 8:1-17; 1 Cor 3:1-4, Gal 5:16-21 and other
texts
“foolish”—the parable of the ten virgins—Matt. 25:1-13
“The state of the Church represented by the foolish virgins, is also spo-
ken of as the Laodicean state.” 36
“lukewarm”—the letter to Laodicea—Rev 3:14-21
“I wish you were cold or hot.” (Rev 3:15) Isn’t it amazing? Jesus prefers
cold to lukewarm. What is His reason for this? “Halfhearted Christians
are worse than infidels; for their deceptive words and noncommittal
position lead many astray. The infidel shows his colors. The lukewarm
Christian deceives both parties. He is neither a good worldling nor a
good Christian. Satan uses him to do a work that no one else can do.” 37
36 Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Aug. 19, 1890

37 Ellen G. White, Letter 44, 1903, quoted in the Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary,
vol. 7, p. 963 on Rev 3:15,16

not “born again” or hasn’t remained in this condition—John 3:1-21
“The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the rea-
son why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many,
who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have
been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore
they did not rise to newness of life in Christ.” 38
a form of godliness—“Having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
(2 Tim 3:5) Arthur G. Daniells says the following about this: “… But for-
malism is something extremely deceptive and destructive. It is the hid-
den, unexpected cliff, which the church has threatened to shatter on
many times throughout the centuries. Paul warned us that this ‘form of
Godliness’ (2 Tim 3:5) without God’s power [without being filled by the
Holy Spirit] would be one of the dangers of the last days and admon-
ishes us not to be taken in by this comfortable, self-deceiving attitude.” 39
And there are also some shocking statements in Ellen White’s writings:
Very, very few
“In my dream a sentinel stood at the door of an important building,
and asked every one who came for entrance, ‘Have ye received the Holy
Spirit?’ A measuring-line was in his hand, and only very, very few were
admitted into the building.” 40
Not one in twenty are ready
“It is a solemn statement that I make to the church, that not one in
twenty whose names are registered upon the church books are prepared
to close their earthly history, and would be as verily without God and
without hope in the world as the common sinner.“ 41
Why are we so sleepy?
“Why are the soldiers of Christ so sleepy and indifferent? Because they
have so little real connection with Christ; because they are so destitute
of His Spirit.” 42
38 Ellen G. White, MS 148, 1897, quoted in the Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary,
vol. 6, p. 1075, Many buried alive
39 A. G. Daniells, Christ our Righteousness, p. 20
40 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, vol. 1 (1958), p. 109.2
41 Ellen G. White, Christian Service (1925), p. 41.1
42 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (1911), p. 507.3
49
A great danger
“I will not here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there
is a terrible danger—a danger not sufficiently understood—in delaying to
yield to the pleading voice of God’s Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for
such this delay really is.” 43 What is at the core of sin? “Because they do not
believe in Me.” (John 16:9) The sign that we really believe and trust Jesus is
that we completely surrender ourselves to Him. It has to do with our com-
plete surrender; our willingness to follow Him in everything.
I want to say it again: I took the chance of adding this very serious para-
graph because it has to do with our personal happiness now and in eternity.
It is also a hugely important factor in how we influence others, especially in
our marriages, families, communities and churches.
QUESTIONS AND MORE QUESTIONS

The crucial question is: Are you filled with the Holy Spirit or not? When is
a person filled with the Holy Spirit? What are the necessary prerequisites?
What are the positive results of a life with the Holy Spirit? What happens
when you erroneously think you are filled with the Holy Spirit?
BE THANKFUL FOR THE SIGNALS

Thank the Lord that we are devoting ourselves more to the topic of revival.
I think that our great and marvelous God has important reasons for pres-
ently giving us impulses by the Holy Spirit for a revival. Could these be the
reasons?
He wants to relieve our deficiency and lead us out of our Laodicea-like
state.
He wants to prepare us for the soon second coming of Jesus and the
special time just before He comes.
He wants to bring about the great closing revival (Rev 18:1,2) in the
world through those “who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ“ (Rev 12:17 NKJV) and have “the faith of Jesus“
(Rev 12:17 NKJV).
43 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, vol. 1 (1958), p. 109.2

Let us also thank God that every carnal Christian can quickly become a
spiritual Christian. And that everyone who lives in the Holy Spirit can grow
to the fullness of Christ. This is now our next job, but now, here is another
experience to end this chapter:
NEW MOTIVATION AND INNER JOY

“A sister in the church gave me the booklet Steps to Personal Revival. I was
overwhelmed by the contents of the booklet. I had long been searching for
something like this and had finally found it. I then started to organize my
spiritual life and only then did I realize that I had to do something: I sur-
rendered myself completely to Jesus. From then on the Lord woke me up
very early and gave me time for my personal devotions. Every day I studied
a chapter in the 40 Days book. I noticed clearly that my relationship with
Jesus grew greater. It became deeper and more intimate. The Holy Spirit
was working on me. After the 40 Days book, I studied book two of the 40
Days. Since then I have studied each of these books four times. I can’t do
anything but daily ask for fellowship with God. The results are awesome,
because my new motivation and inner joy can’t remain unnoticed. During
this time I have had the privilege of having a lot of experiences with God.
I also looked for opportunities to share my experience. A close relationship
with Jesus makes many things become unimportant and needless cares
are solved. I hope and pray that many people will have this experience that
I have been privileged to have.” H. S.
51
ATTRACTIVE WORDS
The Holy Spirit: The highest of all gifts

He [Jesus] rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His
church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His
Father for the exaltation of His people. Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 671.2
Even doubters have no arguments

I received Steps to personal Revival in Swedish a few weeks ago and I love it!
I’m reading it for the third time. I know, without a doubt, that this book was
really led by the Holy Spirit. Since the 1960s, such a book has been missing
in Sweden. At that time, a Finnish pastor called Arazola, wrote something
similar, but it wasn’t as clear. This book makes it so clear and convincing
that even one ‘Doubter’ has no arguments. T.J. EE100319 from Sweden, #93
My life has changed completely

My wife and I have studied your e-book Steps to Personal Revival. What
a Divine Revelation and Inspiration! We have been guided, blessed and
inspired. My life has completely changed. Thank you. We want our families
and our community here in South Africa to receive printed copies. Most of
them have no access to the Internet and e-books. How should we go about
that? EE200619 LB from South Africa, #87
Enthusiasm about Change

I’m excited about the changes that have and are occuring in my life through
the booklet Steps to Personal Revival. I am very grateful for the much greater
work that the Holy Spirit is having in my life. Many ways of witnessing have
been opened by the Holy Spirit. Old habits have far less appeal.—I have
used the basic messages form Dwight’s sermons on the Holy Spirit for my
presentations and am seeing lives changed by the work of the Holy Spirit
as people recommit their lives to Jesus. [3 Sermons from Dwight Nelson on
the Fulfillment with the Holy Spirit—www.steps-to-personal-revival.info]
A changed brother in the Lord. C.H. EE300119 from USA, #85
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine

and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock.”
(Matthew 7:24)

WHAT IS THE CENTER OF OUR PROBLEMS? | DAY 4

1. What is the central problem with carnal Christianity?
2. What can happen when we try to do something that is beyond our

strength?
3. What factors can lead to carnal Christianity?
4. Why pray for the Holy Spirit, when I already received Him at
my baptism?
Our Prayer Time

1. that God fills every one of us with His Holy Spirit.
2. for God’s rich blessing on our walk with Him.
3. for constant guidance from the Holy Spirit.
53
Day 5 CHAPTER 3
OUR PROBLEMS
ARE SOLVABLE
What is God’s solution to our problems?

How can we grow to be happy
and strong Christians?
Jesus said: “Remain joined to me, and I will remain joined to you.”
(John 15:4 NIRV) “Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of
His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service.” 44
This two-part divine solution for our central problem is at the same time
the way to a happy Christian life. Why? Jesus commented on these words:
“These things I have spoken to you, that My Joy may remain in you, and that
your joy may be full.” (John 15:11 NKJV) Through these two steps (continu-
ally receiving the Holy Spirit and complete surrender to His service) Christ
lives in us and this is the way to perfect happiness. Colossians 1:27 speaks
about the riches of the glory: Christ in you. Isn’t it remarkable that Jesus
embedded this parable of the vine in between the promise for the Holy
Spirit in John 14 and the work of the Holy Spirit in John 16?
The crucial point is that we (as a rule) daily surrender ourselves to
God including everything we are and have and that we also daily ask and
receive by faith the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
54 CHAPTER 3 OUR PROBLEMS ARE THEY SOLVABLE – HOW?

WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO SURRENDER
OURSELVES TO JESUS DAILY?
Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Jesus said that discipleship is a daily matter. To deny oneself means giv-
ing Jesus the control over my life. Carrying a cross doesn’t mean that we
will have difficulties every day. Here it means: to daily deny our egos and
to submit gladly and willingly to Jesus - just as Paul said about himself: “I
die daily.” When someone carried a cross in Jesus’ day, then he had been
sentenced to death and was going to the place of execution. So it also has
to do with accepting difficulties, which arise from following Jesus.
We received our physical life at birth. In order to maintain our life,
strength and health we normally eat every day. We received our spiritual
life when we were born again. In order to keep our spiritual life strong and
healthy it is also necessary to take care of the inner person daily. If this
doesn’t take place in our physical life as well as in our spiritual life, then
we will become weak, sick or even die. We can neither eat meals ahead as
reserve meals nor can we stockpile the Holy Spirit.
In the book The Acts of the Apostles there is valuable advice on this: “As in
the natural, so in the spiritual world. The natural life is preserved moment
by moment by divine power; yet it is not sustained by a direct miracle, but
through the use of blessings placed within our reach. So the spiritual life is
sustained by the use of those means that Providence has supplied.” 45
This comment in the book The Desire of Ages really impressed me: “We
are to follow Christ day by day. God does not bestow help for tomorrow.” 46
Ellen White said: “To follow Jesus requires wholehearted conversion at
the start, and a repetition of this conversion every day.“ 47 “However com-
plete may have been our consecration at conversion, it will avail us nothing
unless it be renewed daily …” 48 “Consecrate yourself to God in the morn-
ing; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, “Take me, O Lord,
as wholly Thine. I lay all may plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy ser-
vice. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.” This is a daily
45 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, (1911), p. 284.2

47 Editor Francis D. Nichol, Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1 (Review and Herald, 1976),
p. 1113
48 Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Jan. 6, 1885
55
matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all
your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indi-
cate. Thus, day by day, you should be giving your life into the hands of God,
and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” 49
Morris Venden said: “If you haven’t discovered the necessity of daily
conversion, it can be a major breakthrough in your life. Thoughts From The
Mount of Blessing, page 101, makes this promise: ‘If you will seek the Lord
and be converted every day…all your murmurings will be stilled, all your
difficulties will be moved, all the perplexing problems that now confront
you will be solved.’” 50
Remaining with Jesus through a daily renewal of our surrender is just as
important as it was when we first came to Him.
Morris Venden says further: “The abiding daily relationship with God
leads to abiding surrender, moment-by-moment dependence on Him.” 51
We may be certain that: when we consciously surrender ourselves to
Jesus every morning, then we are doing what He wishes us to do, because
He said: “Come to me …” (Matt 11:28 NKJV) and: “… the one who comes to
Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6:37 NKJV)
“The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory
through numbers, but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We
are to go forward in His strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel …” 52
The great influence that God can exert through us when we completely
surrender ourselves to Him is described by John Wesley as follows: “God
can do more with one man, who has committed himself 100 % to God, than
He can with a whole army of men, who have only committed themselves
99 % to God.” 53
Ellen White wrote: “Only those who will become co-workers with Christ,
only those who will say, Lord, all I have and all I am is Thine, will be acknowl-
edged as sons and daughters of God.” 54 “All who consecrate soul, body, and
spirit to God will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and
mental power… The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in
heart and mind. The grace of God enlarges and multiplies their faculties,

52 Ellen G. White, Sons and Daughters of God, p. 279
53 Dr. S. Joseph Kidder, Anleitung zum geistlichen Leben (Andrews University), PPP slide 14

and every perfection of the divine nature comes to their assistance in the
work of saving souls … And in their human weakness they are enabled to
do the deeds of Omnipotence.” 55
WHY SHOULD A PERSON DAILY ASK FOR A

NEW BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The request to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a request to Jesus to, ‘Stay by
me.’ Because He lives in me through the Holy Spirit. But why daily?
Ellen G. White said in The Acts of the Apostles: “To the consecrated worker
there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge that even Christ during His
life on earth sought His Father daily for fresh supplies of needed grace …
His own example is an assurance that earnest, persevering supplication to
God in faith—faith that leads to entire dependence upon God, and unre-
served consecration to His work—will avail to bring men the Holy Spirit’s
aid in the battle against sin.” 56
If this was a daily necessity for Jesus, then how much more important
it is for us. In 2 Cor 4:16 NKJV there is an important statement: “… yet the
inward man is being renewed day by day.”
Our inward man needs daily care. In what way does this daily renewal
take place? According to Eph 3:16,17,19 NKJV it happens through the Holy
Spirit: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ
may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded
in love … that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Therefore:
As a rule it is necessary to pray daily for a renewal of the Holy Spirit.
As a result Christ lives in us.
He gives us power according to the riches of His glory for our inner man.
The power of God is a supernatural power, but we can not feel it. The Cre-
ator can work with extremely minimal forces (e.g. the electrical currents
in our bodies. We can not feel it, but if they are not there, we are dead)
Thus God’s love is put into our hearts.

56 Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles (1911), p. 56.1
57
And it is the way to a life “with all the fullness of God”. (see John 10:10;
Col. 2:10)
Another important text is found in Ephesians 5:18 NKJV: “… be filled with

the Spirit.“ Take note that this is more than just advice. It is a divine com-
mand. Our God expects us to want to live with the Holy Spirit. The Greek
experts say that this text says more precisely—and I am quoting Johannes
Mager: “Let yourselves be consistently and continually filled anew with the
Spirit.” 57
Our lesson study guide says: “Baptism with the Holy Spirit means to be
completely under the influence of the Holy Spirit - to be completely ‘ filled’
by Him. This isn’t a one-time experience, but rather something that has to
be continually repeated, as Paul illustrates in Ephesians 5:18 with the tense
of the Greek verb ‘filled’.” 58
The apostle Paul wrote this in Ephesians chapter 5, even though he
wrote the following in chapter 1:13: “… in whom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Ephesians had evidently
already received the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, it was necessary for them
to be: “strengthened with might through His Spirit” and to “be filled with
the Spirit” and “let yourselves be consistently and continually filled with the
Spirit anew”. In Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30 he warns us not to grieve or to
insult the Holy Spirit.
Ellen White said: “For the daily baptism of the Spirit every worker should
offer his petition to God.” 59
“In order that we may have the righteousness of Christ, we need daily to
be transformed by the influence of the Spirit, to be a partaker of the divine
nature. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to elevate the taste, to sanctify the
heart, to ennoble the whole man.” 60
The Lord said in another place through her: “Those who have been
impressed by the Holy Scriptures as the voice of God, and desire to follow
its teachings, are to be daily learning, daily receiving spiritual fervor and
57 Editor Werner E. Lange, Unser größtes Bedürfnis (Lüneburg, 2011), S. 42

58 Sabbath School Study Guide July 17, 2014
60 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages 1 (1958), p. 374.1

power, which have been provided for every true believer in the gift of the
Holy Spirit.” 61
In addition she said: “We are to follow Christ day by day. God does not
bestow help for tomorrow.” 62
And in another place: “A connection with the divine agency every
moment is essential to our progress. We may have had a measure of the
Spirit of God, but by prayer and faith we are continually to seek more of
the Spirit.” 63
I also found this amazing quote: “You need a daily baptism of the love
that in the days of the apostles made them all of one accord.” 64
Romans 5:5 shows us that God’s love is poured into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit. We find the same thing in Ephesians 3:17. The daily baptism
with the Holy Spirit (being filled with the Holy Spirit) causes at the same
time a daily baptism with love (being filled with God’s agape love). In addi-
tion, it says in Galatians 5:16 and Romans 8:2, that as a result, the power
of sin is broken. (More on page 109, in the section “Can a person remain
spiritual?”)
THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL WORSHIP

What importance does personal worship have if it is so important that I
daily surrender to Jesus and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Daily worship and the observance of the Sabbath are the foundation for
a spiritual life.
We have already read Bible verses and diverse quotes that show us that
the inner person is renewed day by day. This casts a clear light on the great
importance of our daily personal worship.
The whole foundation for the worship service in the tabernacle was the
morning and evening burnt offerings. On Sabbath there was an additional
Sabbath burnt offering (Num 28:4,10). What importance did the burnt offer-
ing have?
61 Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, March 8, 1910, par. 1

63 Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, March 2, 1897, par. 5
64 Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church (1904), vol. 8, p. 191
59
“The burnt offering represented the complete surrender of the sinner to
the Lord. Here the person kept nothing for themselves, but rather every-
thing belonged to God.“ 65
“The hours appointed for the morning and the evening sacrifice were
regarded as sacred, and they came to be observed as the set time for wor-
ship throughout the Jewish nation…In this custom Christians have an
example for morning and evening prayer. While God condemns a mere
round of ceremonies, without the spirit of worship, He looks with great
pleasure upon those who love Him, bowing morning and evening to seek
pardon for sins committed and to present their requests for needed bless-
ings.“ 66
Do you notice that daily worship is connected with the Sabbath as a
basis for our spiritual lives? In addition, does it make it clear that it has to
do with a daily surrender to Jesus Christ, who is invited through the Holy
Spirit to live in us?
Have you made the most important spiritual principle your own: To give
God priority over everything every day? Jesus said in the Sermon on the
Mount: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.” (Matt 6:33 NKJV)
The kingdom of God is when you have Christ in your heart now. Jesus
personifies the kingdom of God (Mark 10:15; Luke 17:20-21). This is why we
need to daily surrender and to daily ask for the Holy Spirit during our wor-
ship time. The decisive moment will be when we stand before God: Did we
have the saving personal relationship with Christ and did we stay in Him?
(see John 15:1-17) Don’t you long for more - for greater fulfillment in your
faith?
Whoever spends little or no quiet time with God or only has an inad-
equate worship time will probably only be strengthened by their worship
once or twice a week. That is similar to someone only eating once or twice a
week. To make a comparison: Wouldn’t it be absurd to only want to nourish
yourself once a week? Doesn’t this mean that a Christian without worship
is carnal?
This also means that if he stays in this condition then he isn’t saved.
When we are carnal Christians worship can be just an obligation. When we
are spiritual then worship will become more and more a necessity and joy.
65 Fritz Rienecker, Lexikon zur Bibel (Wuppertal, 1964), S. 1017

66 Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (1890), p. 353.3

“
In order that we may have the righteousness of
Christ, we need daily to be transformed by the
influence of the Spirit, to be a partaker of the divine
nature.
Years ago I read a booklet by Jim Vaus: I was a Gangster. He was a

„
criminal who became converted. He wholeheartedly confessed his sins - for
example perjury, theft, etc. He experienced tremendous divine interven-
tion. This impressed me. I said to myself: I am doing fine in almost every
way, but I don’t have experiences like that. Then I prayed to the Lord:
“Father in heaven, I also want to confess all my known sins and all the sins
that you will yet show me. In addition, I will get up an hour earlier to pray
and read the Bible. Then I want to see if you will also intervene in my life.”
Praise God! He intervened in my life. Since then, especially my morning
worship in connection with the Sabbath has become the basis for my life
with God.
Through daily surrender and through being daily filled with the Holy
Spirit our lives will be beneficially changed. As a result, our new life “in
Christ” will be preserved and will bear fruit. This happens during our per-
sonal worship time.
61
WHAT DO PASTORS SAY? (PART 1)
We do not do one thing

We are looking for good solutions of all kinds, but we do not do one thing:
Ask for the authority of the Holy Spirit. The church is aware of its fruitless-
ness, its weak impression on people. She also feels that her real authority is
missing. In seeking this authority, she is ready to try and do everything, but
one thing she does not do is seek the authority of the Holy Spirit.
M.L.-J., Telos 385
Return to first love

Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, I was led to a closer walk with Jesus,
experienced a return to that ‘first love’ of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Personal changes began happening within me that could only stem from
the indwelling of the Spirit of God. In my ministry, I began seeing a power
as I had never seen before. D. S.
A gift from heaven

Your script on Steps to Personal Awakening is truly a gift from heaven, first
to you and then to all readers. Although some very practical and deep spiri-
tual books have come to the church lately, this booklet is extraordinary.
In such a compact yet quite detailed way, the way to becoming filled with
the Holy Spirit is presented. Those who read it cannot help but make their
spiritual inventory and make a decision. H. H. 010512
I waisted time taking the important as obvious

I am reading Steps to Personal Revival in Spanish for the third time. I just got
to the point of how much time I had waisted as a church member and as an
Adventist pastor taking the important as obvious in my relation with Jesus.
The book came to me at a very special time in my life and ministry. All I can
say is that I am enjoying the blessing through the Holy Spirit in my life in
such a different approach and experience. The thesis of the book became a
reality in my Life. E. L., EE 300319 from USA #92
“What you intend, you will not succeed

by the power of an army and not by human power:
No, my spirit will effect it! I promise, the LORD Almighty God.”
(Zechariah 4,6)

OUR PROBLEMS ARE THEY SOLVABLE – HOW? | DAY 5

1. What steps are important in order to abide in Jesus?
2. Why is daily surrender to Jesus necessary?
3. Why should you daily pray to be filled again by the Holy Spirit?
4. Why is daily worship / quiet time with God so important?
Our Prayer Time

1. that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. that the Lord will increase your delight in your daily worship.
3. that Jesus’ character will grow in you.
63
Day 6 What is the relationship between baptism
and the Holy Spirit?
WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

The main objective is worshipping God. In God’s last message to humanity
it has to do with worshipping the creator in contrast to worshipping the
beast (Rev 14:6-12). The outward sign of worship is the Sabbath (worship-
ping the creator). The inner attitude of worship is shown in John 4:23-24:
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
To worship in spirit certainly means to worship consciously, but also to
be filled with the Holy Spirit. To worship in truth means living in complete
surrender to Jesus, who is the truth in person. Jesus said: “I am the truth.”
(John 14:6) And it means through the indwelling of Jesus to live according
to God’s word and directives, because He said: “Your word is truth.” (John
17:17) and Psalm 119:142 says: “Your law is truth.” If we don’t have real wor-
ship now, then aren’t we in danger of failing at a critical moment? This will
be a big problem for all the carnal Christians.
I think we all want to make progress with God’s help and to grow in
knowledge. It may be that the following false belief was a hindrance for
some in moving forwards.
BAPTISM AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

Some people think they are filled with the Holy Spirit because they are bap-
tized and thus everything is ok and they don’t need to do anything more.
D. L. Moody commented on this: “Many think that because they were filled
once that they are filled forever. Oh my friend, we are porous vessels; it is
necessary for us to constantly remain under the fountain in order to be
full.” 67
Joseph H. Waggoner said: “In all cases, where baptism is seen as proof
for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the repentant sinner is lulled into carnal
67 D. L. Moody, They Found the Secret, pp. 85, 86; quoted in 10 Days—Prayers and Devotions
… by Dennis Smith, p. 23

security. He solely trusts on his baptism as a sign of God’s grace. Baptism
and not the Spirit in his heart will be his sign or ‘testimony’ …” 68
Baptism is definitely a significant decision; this corresponds to God’s will.
It has and will retain great significance. But we shouldn’t look back to an
event in the past as proof that we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Instead, we
should know now and experience now that we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Some people received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized - for
example Cornelius and his household or Saul. Others received the Holy
Spirit after they were baptized - for example the Samaritans or the 12 men
in Ephesus. But it is all the same when a person received the Holy Spirit
before, at or after baptism. What matters is that we received the Holy Spirit
at some time and that we have Him in our hearts now. It isn’t crucial what
happened in the past, but rather how things are now - today!
Ekkehardt Müller said: “When a person surrenders themselves completely
to God in response to His initiative, then rebirth and baptism with the Holy
Spirit happen at the same time. Furthermore, it should be kept in mind that
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a person follows rebirth, but isn’t a process
that automatically takes place. The relationship has to be renewed daily.” 69
I want to remind you again: We received our physical lives at birth.
Our life is maintained by daily food, drink, exercise, sleep, etc. otherwise
we wouldn’t live very long. The same laws apply to our spiritual lives. We
received new life through the Holy Spirit, namely when we completely sur-
rendered ourselves to Christ. Our spiritual life is maintained through the
Holy Spirit, prayer, the word of God, etc. Ellen G. White said: “The natural
life is preserved moment by moment by divine power; yet it is not sus-
tained by a direct miracle, but through the use of blessings placed within
our reach. So the spiritual life is sustained by the use of those means that
Providence has supplied.” 70
Neither the physical nor the spiritual life remains automatically in us. It
is necessary to use the means that God has provided for us.
This means: When we are born again the Holy Spirit is given to us to stay.
But in order for Him to stay it depends upon the daily use of the means,
68 Joseph H. Waggoner, The Spirit of God (Battle Creek, Michigan 1 877), p. 35f, quoted in
Garrie F. Williams, Erfüllt vom Heiligen Geist (Lüneburg, 2007), S. 58
69 Ekkehard Müller, Die Lehre von Gott: Biblischer Befund und Theologische Herausforder-
ung, Bogenhofen 2010, S. 224
65
which the Lord has provided us with. What result can we expect if we don’t
use the “means”?
The Holy Spirit is the most important of all these “means”. In addition,
prayer is very important, being connected to God through His word, taking
part in the worship services and other things.
I think we can agree that as a rule it is also necessary to daily care for the
inner person. If we don’t do it, then we will experience regrettable conse-
quences. We can neither eat ahead nor can we stock up on the Holy Spirit.
“God does not bestow help for tomorrow.” 71 I think it is reasonably clear
that daily surrender to Jesus is necessary and that we should daily invite
the Holy Spirit into our lives.
Both of these matters serve the same purpose - they are two sides of
the same coin; having an intimate relationship with Christ. I give myself to
Him through surrender and by asking for the Holy Spirit I am inviting Him
into my heart. Among other Bible verses 1 John 3:24 (see also John 14:17,
23) shows us that Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit: “And by this we
know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
THE EFFECTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When the Holy Spirit is in me He accomplishes in me what Christ achieved.
Romans 8:2 says: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me
free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:4: “So that the just requirement of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but accord-
ing to the Spirit.” We can explain the “law of the Spirit” as the manner in which
the Holy Spirit works in a heart completely surrendered to God. It is a matter
of the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can bring to life
in me what Christ achieved. Ellen G. White explains it well: “The Spirit was
to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ
would have been of no avail …It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has
been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is
made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine
nature … The power of God awaits their demand and reception.” 72
Thomas A. Davis describes this process as follows: “This means that
even the effectiveness of Christ’s work for people is dependent on the Holy
71 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p.313.4

72 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898) pp. 671.2, 672.1

Spirit. Without Him everything Jesus did on this earth—in Gethsemane, on
the cross, the resurrection and His priestly ministry in heaven—would be
unsuccessful. The outcome of Christ’s work wouldn’t be much more useful
than that of some big world religion or ethical leader. But although Christ
was much more than these, He couldn’t save humanity alone through His
example and teachings. To change people it was necessary to work in them.
This work is done by the Holy Spirit, who was sent to do this in people’s
hearts, which Jesus had made possible.” 73
Isn’t this alone reason enough to see to it that you are filled with the
Holy Spirit? “When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it trans-
forms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love,
humility and peace take the place of anger, envy and strife. Joy takes the
place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven.” 74
There are many other valuable results from a life with the Holy Spirit
but there are also great deficiencies and losses without Him. The difference
between a life with and without the Holy Spirit will be dealt with in more
detail in chapter 4.
AM I FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Please ask yourself the following questions about being filled with the Holy
Spirit: 75
Are there any noticeable effects of the Holy Spirit in my life? For example,
has He made Jesus real and great to you? (John 15:16)
Am I starting to hear and understand the inner voice of the Holy Spirit?
Can He lead me in the big and little decisions in my life? (Rom 8:14)
Has a new kind of love for my fellow man arisen in me? Does the Holy
Spirit give me tender compassion and profound concern for people, who
I wouldn’t normally choose as my friends? (Gal 5:22; James 2:8,9)
Do I experience again and again how the Holy Spirit helps me to deal
with my fellow men? Does He give me the right words to reach a person’s
heart, who has worries and cares?
73 Thomas A. Davis, Als Christ siegreich leben (HW-Verlag), S. 43 / How to be a victorious

Christian, R&H.
75 Catherine Marshall, Der Helfer (Erzhausen, 2002), S. 24
67
Does the Holy Spirit give me strength to share about Jesus and lead oth-
ers to Him?
Do I experience how He helps me in my prayer life and helps me to
express the deepest feelings of my heart to God?
When we think about these questions, we see what a great need we have
to grow in the Holy Spirit, to get to know Him better and to love Him more.
A brother wrote: My father and I have become reconciled. After study-
ing Steps to Personal Revival and the 40 Days books one and two, I had the
wonderful experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It was especially
exciting for me to experience how the Holy Spirit works and wants to work
in every area of my life.
RECONCILIATION BETWEEN FATHER AND SON

My relationship with my father was always somewhat complicated. My wishes
and prayers during my childhood and youth were always that I would have
a better relationship with my father. But it got progressively worse. Another
six to seven years went by. God filled the great emptiness in my heart. While
studying and praying for the Holy Spirit, my wife and I had a lot of big experi-
ences with God. We prayed for our family and especially for my father. During
this time I received new power to love my father. I was able to forgive him for
everything that hadn’t gone well in our relationship since my childhood. My
father and I are now friends. He also started to become more spiritual and
also started telling other people about God. Now, two years later, the rela-
tionship to my father is still very good. I thank God for this experience. I used
to feel so powerless and often alone. But since I have started to pray daily for
the Holy Spirit, I am experiencing a new and wonderful type of life and rela-
tionship with God. (Name known by the editor.)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you that you want to remain in me through
the Holy Spirit. Thank you that through daily surrender our trust and
love relationship is growing. Lord, help me to get to know the Holy
Spirit and His work better. I long to know what He wants to do for me,
my family and my church and how we can have the assurance that we
can receive the Holy Spirit when we daily ask Thank you for this. Amen

Ellen G. White said: “To Jesus … the Holy Spirit was given without mea-
sure. So it will be given to every follower of Christ when the whole heart is
surrendered for His indwelling. Our Lord Himself has given the command,
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18), and this command is also a promise of
its fulfillment. It was the good pleasure of the Father that in Christ should
“all the fullness dwell,” and “in Him ye are made full”. 76 Our Father, we ask
in Jesus’ name, fill us “with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:19).
SUPPLEMENT FOR EPHESIANS 5:18—

“BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT!”
We can already see in the English text in Eph 5:18 that this appeal is made in
the imperative. Further, we can see that this command is directed to every-
one. And we can also see that it is our duty to seek the fullness of the Holy
Spirit. But the original Greek text makes it even clearer.
Johannes Mager comments on this: “In the New Testament letters there
is only one passage which speaks directly about being filled with the Holy
Spirit: ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’ (Eph 5:18) In the book of Acts we find that
being imbued with the Holy Spirit is a gift, which is used to act in a pow-
erful way in specific situations. However, Paul states being filled with the
Holy Spirit as a commandment, which is independent from situations in
life and applies to all Jesus’ followers. This short but important command
comprises four crucial aspects:
1. The verb ‘fill’ (plerein) is used in the imperative form. Paul does not make
a recommendation here or give a friendly piece of advice. He doesn’t
make a suggestion that a person can accept or reject. He commands as
an empowered apostle. A command always appeals to a person’s will. If
a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit, then it depends to a large degree
on himself. Christians are subject to the command to strive to be filled
with the Holy Spirit. This is our responsibility as people to be filled with
the Holy Spirit.
2. The verb is used in the plural form. The command isn’t directed at a
single person in the church, who has special duties. Being filled with the
Holy Spirit isn’t a privilege for a few favored people. The call applies to
everyone who belongs to the church—always and everywhere. There
76 Ellen G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p. 20.3
69
are no exceptions. For Paul it was normal that all Christians should be
3. The verb is in the passive tense. It doesn’t say: ‘Fill yourselves with the
Spirit!’, but rather ‘Be filled with the Spirit!’ No person can fill themselves
with the Holy Spirit. This is exclusively the work of the Holy Spirit. Herein
lies His sovereignty. But the individual should create the conditions so
that the Holy Spirit can fill him. Without his active will the Holy Spirit
won’t work in him.
4. In Greek the imperative is in the present tense. This imperative present
tense describes an event that is constantly repeated in contrast to the
imperative aorist tense, which describes a one-time action. According
to this, being filled with the Holy Spirit isn’t a one-time experience, but
rather a recurrent and progressive process. A Christian isn’t like a vessel
that is filled once for all time, but rather has to be constantly ‘refilled’.
The sentence could be expressed this way: ‘Let yourselves be consis-
tently and repeatedly filled anew with the Spirit!’
Being filled with the Holy Spirit, which was given to us at baptism [pro-
vided it was a baptism in water and Spirit with a complete surrender], can
be lost when the fullness that was given us isn’t retained. If it is lost, it
can be found again. Being filled with the Spirit must be repeated so that
the Holy Spirit can occupy all areas of our life. Then our spiritual life will
not wilt feebly. Being filled with the Spirit doesn’t mean that we quantita-
tively have more of Him, but rather that the Spirit has more and more of
us. That’s why Paul commanded all the believers to be constantly filled
with the Spirit. This is a normal condition for a Christian. One baptism, but
many ‘fillings.’” 77
The Lord himself has given the command: *
Let yourselves be consistently and repeatedly filled
anew with the Spirit! **
77 Johannes Mager was a pastor, evangelist and for many years a university lecturer on
systematic theology. Most recently, he was the head of the ministry department in the
Euro-African Division in Bern, Switzerland (now the Inter-European Division). Presently
he is retired and lives in Friedensau. The quote is from his book: Auf den Spuren des
Geistes, (Lüneburg, 1999) p. 100f (with permission from the publishing house)
* Ellen G. White, Mount of Blessing, MB 20.3 (egwwritings.org)
** Johannes Mager, Auf den Spuren des Heiligen Geistes (Lüneburg, 1999), S. 101

OUR PROBLEMS ARE THEY SOLVABLE – HOW? | DAY 6

1. What does worship “in spirit and truth” mean?
2. What mistake are we making when we rely on our water baptism with
respect to being filled with the Holy Spirit?
3. What implication does Jesus’ sacrifice have for my life have, when I am
not filled with the Holy Spirit?
4. “Be filled with the Spirit” (see appendix on Eph 5:18). What four essential
points can be found in Paul’s appeal?
Our Prayer Time

• Pray with your prayer partner ...
1. that the Lord fills you with His Holy Spirit today.
2. that we daily seek first the kingdom of God - that means we submit
ourselves to Jesus in everything we are and have.
3. that Jesus will change our lives.
71
Day 7 CHAPTER 4
WHAT DIFFERENCES
CAN WE EXPECT?
What advantages do we have

with a life filled with the Holy Spirit?
A COMPARISON BETWEEN CARNAL

AND SPIRITUAL CHRISTIANITY
The consequences of carnal Christianity have already been partially listed
for individual persons. Some of the consequences express themselves as
follows:
The person is not saved in this condition (Rom 8:6-8; Rev 3:16).
God’s love—the agape love—isn’t in the person (Rom 5:5; Gal 5:22); they
are completely dependent on their human love; the lust of the flesh isn’t
broken (Gal 5:16).
The person hasn’t been strengthened with power through His Spirit
(Eph 3:16-17).
Christ doesn’t live in this person (1 Joh 3:24; Eph 3:16,17.)
The person hasn’t received the power to witness for Christ (Acts 1:8).
The person acts in a human way (1 Cor 3:3) which can easily cause rival-
ries and tensions.
As a rule it is harder for this person to accept admonition.
72 CHAPTER 4 WHAT DIFFERENCES CAN WE EXPECT?

Their prayer life may be inadequate.
The person only has human abilities to forgive and not bear a grudge.
The person doesn’t experience a fundamental change of character
(2 Cor 5:17).
What Jesus accomplished is only theory; it hasn’t come alive for him
(Rom 8:1-4).
The carnal Christian acts at times like a natural man. Paul says: “are you
not carnal and behaving like mere men” (1 Cor 3:3 NKJV). Other times his
actions are like those of the spiritual person, although he lives by his own
power and abilities and seems very pious.
On the other hand, the spiritual Christian experiences the fullness of

God: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ
may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded
in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and
length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowl-
edge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is
able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according
to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to
all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:16-21 NKJV)
EFFECTS OF CARNAL CHRISTIANITY

I am sorry for the losses in my family and in the churches where I worked
as a pastor as a result of my lack of the Holy Spirit. It is also true in this area
that we can lead no one further than we are ourselves. We also need to real-
ize that personal deficiencies in the Holy Spirit in an individual person, in a
family and in a church adds up and multiplies.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Carnal Christianity is a breeding ground for a liberal Christian life. People
ignorantly try with good intentions to do what they can’t do and then search
for a way out. Is this the reason we are losing so many of our youth? Have
we in ignorance or for other reasons set an example for our children and
young people of carnal Christianity? As a result, did they become carnal
73
Christians and hence have to struggle with discouragement? Is this the rea-
son why many don’t take it very seriously or don’t come to church anymore
or have left the church?
Not long ago an older brother told his church: “There is a reason for the
problems we have today in our own lives and in the lives of our youth: the
older generation has failed to understand the working of the Holy Spirit
and to be filled by Him.” 78
In the book Christ’s Object Lessons we read: “Many who listen to the
preaching of the word of God make it the subject of criticism at home …
Often these things are spoken by parents in the hearing of their own chil-
dren … Thus in the homes of professed (carnal) Christians many youth are
educated to be infidels.” 79
May I remind you again of the consequence of lukewarmness (an incom-
plete surrender to Christ): “Halfhearted Christians are worse than infidels:
for their deceptive words and noncommittal position lead many astray. The
infidel shows his colors. The lukewarm Christian deceives both parties. He
is neither a good worldling nor a good Christian. Satan uses him to do a
work that no one else can do.” 80
However, if we live spiritually, we can show our children how to have
God’s power and help. Ellen White says something really amazing: “Teach
your children that it is their privilege to receive every day the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. Let Christ find you His helping hand to carry out His purposes.
By prayer you may gain an experience that will make your ministry for your
children a perfect success.” 81
We taught our sons to pray. But did we teach them to pray daily for the
Holy Spirit? Or didn’t we know that ourselves? At that time my wife and
I didn’t know it. I am thankful that God overlooked this time where we
lacked knowledge. But as a consequence how much loss occurred?
What wonderful children spiritual parents will have when they daily
commit themselves to Jesus and pray for the Holy Spirit.
78 Garrie F. Williams, Erfülltsein vom Heiligen Geist – Wie erfahren wir das? (Lüneburg
2007), S. 8
79 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 45.1-46.1
80 EGW Letter 44, 1903, quoted in Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.7, p.963 on Rev 3:15-16
81 Ellen G. White, Child Guidance (1954), p. 69

ATMOSPHERE—
DIVINE LOVE OR ONLY BEING NICE TO EACH OTHER?
What difference can it make to the atmosphere of marriages and families,
churches and fellowships depending on whether there are carnal or spiritu-
als Christians present? What is it like if the power of God is missing for a dis-
ciplined life, if God’s love is missing and the power of sin isn’t broken? A life
where all these things are present through God’s grace is a great contrast.
Conservative carnal Christians tend to criticize. This isn’t good. Although
we have to talk about God’s good directives, we should at the same time
realize that essential change will only happen when the change comes
from within.
Liberals tend not to take things seriously and adapt to worldly methods.
God can’t bless this either.
Joseph Kidder discovered the following general condition of the church
today: “Lethargy, superficiality, worldliness, lack of generosity, ministers
are burned out, teenagers are leaving the church, weak self-discipline,
plans without any real background or result, a chronic lack of strong and
dedicated men.” 82
The cause of our problem is the lack of our connection with Jesus (John
15:1-5) and too much trust in human efforts (Zech 4:6). Kidder also sees the
solution in a life filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
Jesus gave us a new command: “A new commandment I give to you, that
you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By
this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(Joh 13:34,35 NKJV)
To love as Jesus does means: to love with divine love (agape). We can
only do this when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
“Supreme love for God and unselfish love for one another - this is the
best gift that our heavenly Father can bestow. This love is not an impulse,
but a divine principle, a permanent power. The unconsecrated heart [every-
one who isn’t filled with the Holy Spirit] cannot originate or produce it. Only
in the heart where Jesus reigns is it found.” 83
I think there is a massive difference between being only ‘nice’ to each
other and going beyond that and loving with God’s love. Ellen G. White
gives us a significant clue: “By putting on the ornament of a meek and quiet
82 Dr. S. Joseph Kidder, Anleitung zum geistlichen Leben (Andrews University), PPP Folie 3+4
83 Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles (1911), p. 551.2
75
spirit, ninety-nine out of a hundred of the troubles which so terribly embit-
ter life might be saved.” 84
God’s word indicates in 1 Thess 4:3-8 something about marital life.
Among other things these verses speak about living in sanctification and
respectability within marriage. It is contrasted to the passionate lust of the
Gentiles. Since it mentions a life of sanctification three times and also hav-
ing the Holy Spirit, we realize that a life with the Holy Spirit can and should
change our marriage relationships as well. God meant for us to have great
joy and fulfillment in our marital life. Doesn’t this show us that God wants
to help us deal with loving tenderness rather than with lust?
Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples: “That they all may be one, as
You, Father, are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the
world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17: 21 NKJV)
William G. Johnsson says: “Many Adventists still have to comprehend
what it means to be one with Christ. In the past we have probably not
attached enough importance to it or hitched up the horse at the wrong
end.” 85
Christ is in us when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Spiritual Christian-
ity contributes to having our prayers answered by the Lord. Ellen G. White
says: “When God’s people are one in the unity of the Spirit, all of Phari-
seeism, all of self-righteousness, which was the sin of the Jewish nation,
will be expelled from all hearts … God will make known the mystery which
hath been hidden for ages. He will make known what are the ‘riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory’. (Col 1:27).” 86
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORGIVENESS AND BEING

FREED FROM INJURIES
I received the following letter: “I had worked through the process of really
forgiving my father and thought that I had made progress. But when I read
the booklet (Steps to Personal Revival) the Holy Spirit showed me deep-
seated resentment that I thought I had conquered. Far too often we cling to
resentment as justification for some wrong that was done to us. But I have
84 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 348.3

85 William G. Johnsson, Adventgemeinde in der Zerreißprobe (Lüneburg 1996), S. 118
86 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1 (1958), p. 386.1

“ „
When God’s people are one in the unity of the
Spirit, all of Phariseeism, all of self-righteousness,
which was the sin of the Jewish nation, will be
expelled from all hearts.
learned that we have to let go of these feelings if we want to receive God’s

Spirit in fullness. I had to make the decision to let go of them. By God’s
grace my heart was stirred by compassion for my father as a lost person
and I started to earnestly pray for his salvation. Not long afterwards, my
father called my sister and in tears told her ‘Jesus loves me, Jesus loves
me’. He shared with her that he had read through the gospel of John and
was deeply impressed that Jesus had died for him. Everyone that knew him
would say: ‘That isn’t like him at all!’ But God answered my prayers in a
remarkable way.”
“The carnal Christian, who doesn’t have or doesn’t have enough of the
Holy Spirit, only has the human capability to forgive and not be resentful.
The Holy Spirit gives us complete forgiveness and freedom as well as the
ability to love the one who has hurt us.” 87
CORRECTIVE COUNSELING
Will there be any benefit in corrective counseling when it is not done or
hardly done with God’s love? What decisions will a church make if it is
composed largely of carnal Christians or even has a carnal pastor or
president? When I think back on my work as a pastor, I have the impres-
sion that spiritual church members tend to bring fallen members back to
reason. And when the person repents and confesses, then the counseling
has fulfilled its purpose. Sometimes carnal Christians tend to use counsel-
ing as punishment and even misuse it to exercise power (Matt 18:15-17;
1 Cor 3:1-4; 2 Cor 10:3; Jude v. 19).
87 Excerpt from the General Conference Prayer Letter Number 148)
77
GOD’S PROPHETIC WORD
FOR THE LAST DAYS
God has the custom of revealing important developments through His
prophets (Amos 3:7). Thus He gave important prophetic messages for the
last days through Ellen White. Since many things would be completely dif-
ferent than in past times, it was important and necessary to have relevant
additional information from God. Today we would call it an “update”.
According to Ellen White these messages are relevant until Jesus comes
again. Since her counsel includes lifestyle change, reproof, admonitions,
etc. a spiritual person can more easily accept it than a carnal person. (But
just because someone takes these counsels seriously, it doesn’t automat-
ically mean that they are spiritual.) It would be wise to think about the
words in Deuteronomy 18:19 NKJV: “And it shall be that whoever will not
hear My words, which He (the prophet) speaks in My name, I will require it
of him.”
This shows us clearly that the message from a true prophet doesn’t have
to do with that person, but rather with God himself. How can we know if
someone is a true prophet? God’s Word gives us five test points. A true
prophet must comply with all five points.
1. Their way of life—“Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

(Matt 7:15-20)
2. Fulfillment of prophecies: Deut 18:21-22 (with the exception of condi-
tional prophecies—for example Jonah.)
3. Call for loyalty to God (God’s word) (Deut 13:1-5).
4. Recognize Jesus as a true person and the true God (1 John 4:1-3)
5. Agree with the teachings of the Bible (John 17:17).
All of God’s commands, including His counsel through the prophets,

are for our own good. That is why they are exceptionally valuable. Hence
spiritual people can obey in God’s power and with joy and know that it
contributes to success in life. “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall
be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” (2 Chron
20:20b NKJV)
Our Sabbath school study guide says the following about the relation-
ship between a life with the Holy Spirit and the word of a true prophet:
“Whoever rejects the prophetic word, closes themselves to the instruction

of the Holy Spirit. The result today is no different than it was then—loss of a
relationship with God and being open to negative influences.” 88
Why is this so? Can the Lord give us the Holy Spirit when we reject a gift
of the Holy Spirit—the prophetic word?
PLANNING / STRATEGY
An important task is to search for good solutions and methods for conduct-
ing the tasks of the church and mission work. It is a question of our plans
and strategies. It mainly has to do with strengthening the church spiritually
and winning more souls.
I have been baptized for 65 years and have been a minister for 43 years.
We have developed an abundance of programs and methods. We were very
industrious. In this context I have to think again about the words of Dwight
Nelson at the General Conference session in 2005.
“Our church has exhaustively developed admirable forms, plans and
programs, but if we don’t finally admit our spiritual bankruptcy [lack of
Holy Spirit], which has taken hold of many of us ministers and leaders, we
will never go beyond our pro forma Christianity.” 89
In the same tenor Dennis Smith says the following: “I have noth-
ing against plans, programs and methods. But I am afraid that we often
depend on these things to move God’s work forward. Plans, programs and
methods will not complete God’s work. Great speakers, wonderful Chris-
tian concerts, satellite broadcasts won’t end God’s work. God’s Spirit will
end the work—God’s Spirit that speaks and serves through Spirit-filled
men and women.” 90
BAPTISM / WINNING SOULS

The Bible shows us that the Holy Spirit is a crucial prerequisite for win-
ning people for Christ (see the book of Acts). In Germany we have on the
one hand churches which are growing and on the other hand churches
which are stagnant or shrinking. Worldwide, the number of members in
88 Studienanleitung Standardausgabe, Philip G. Samaan, 10.11.1989, to question 8

89 Helmut Haubeil (Hrsg.), Missionsbrief Nr. 34, (Bad Aibling, 2011) p. 3
90 Dennis Smith, 40 Days—Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming
(Wien, 2012), p. 88
79
our church has grown twentyfold in the last 60 years. We can certainly
list many reasons for this situation in Germany. But one thing is clear for
me: The main reason is the lack of the Holy Spirit. Naturally this problem
has intensely preoccupied us. We have developed or adapted many plans
and programs. We have seen that a lack of the Holy Spirit in this great
effort has led to a loss of funds and time since we pursued unnecessary
or unsuccessful ways. Two quotes from Ellen G. White illustrate this situ-
ation: “The Lord does not now work to bring many souls into the truth,
because of the church members who have never been converted and
those who were once converted but who have backslidden. What influ-
ence would these unconsecrated members [carnal Christians] have on
new converts?“ 91
“If we would humble ourselves before God, and be kind and courteous
and tenderhearted and pitiful, there would be one hundred conversions to
the truth where now there is only one.“ 92
Notably, we baptise people who aren’t prepared sufficiently. Ellen G.
White said: “The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world.
This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches.
Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and
unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not
die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ.” 93
This was written in 1897. What is the situation like today? The problem
is: whoever isn’t born again hasn’t been filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus
said: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God.” (John 3:5 NKJV) Isn’t it true that we meet with the lack of the Holy
Spirit in every area?
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND PREACHING

God tells us the following about the meaning of the Holy Spirit and preach-
ing: “The preaching of the word will be of no avail without the continual
presence and aid of the Holy Spirit. This is the only effectual teacher of
divine truth. Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit
will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. One might be able
91 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6 (1901), p. 370.3

92 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9 (1909), p. 189.4
93 Ellen G. White, MS 148 (1897)

to present the letter of the word of God, he might be familiar with all its
commands and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets home the truth,
no souls will fall on the Rock and be broken. No amount of education, no
advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light without the
co-operation of the Spirit of God.” 94
Preaching doesn’t only take place during a sermon, but also in lectures,
Bible studies, care groups or other means.
Randy Maxwell says: “But the truth is, we’re dying of thirst for contact
with the living God!” 95
Does the lack of the Holy Spirit also cause us to fear? Could Emilio
Knechtle be right when he says: “Why don’t we succeed in turning this
corrupt world upside down? Something has gone wrong with our convic-
tions. We are afraid of conflicts, we are afraid of run-ins, we are afraid
of difficulties, we are afraid of losing our job, we are afraid to lose our
reputation, we are afraid to lose our lives. So we keep silent and hide. We
are afraid to proclaim the gospel to the world in a loving and yet powerful
manner.” 96
The solution to this problem is found in Acts 4:31 NKJV: “And when they
had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken;
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God
with boldness.”
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OUR LITERATURE

The following is said about our literature: “If the salvation of God is with
the one that writes for the paper, the same spirit will be felt by the reader. A
piece written in the Spirit of God, angels approbate and impress the same
upon the readers. But a piece written when the writer is not living wholly for
the glory of God, not wholly devoted to him, angels feel the lack in sadness.
They turn away and do not impress the reader with it because God and his
Spirit are not in it. The words are good but it lacks the warm influence of
the Spirit of God.” 97

95 Randy Maxwell, If my people pray (Pacific Press, 1995), p. 11
96 CD Die letzte Vorbereitung, Teil 6
97 Ellen G. White, PH 016, p. 29.1
81
What meaning does this insight have for the distribution of literature?
I want to emphasize again: Naturally everything we did wasn’t wrong.

By no means. We have developed good and very good things; God cer-
tainly blessed our human efforts as far as possible. But the important
question is: Do we approach these duties as spiritual or carnal Chris-
tians? One thing is certain: When we struggle to find solutions on a
carnal basis, we will invest a lot of time in vain; we will perform many
tasks, which will be of no use.

WHAT DIFFERENCES CAN WE EXPECT? | DAY 7

1. What are the results of carnal Christianity?
2. Why is half-heartedness such a great problem?
3. What loss do we suffer when we don’t take the message of a true prophet
seriously?
4. Why is the Holy Spirit so important in our preaching, in our literature and
multimedia?
Our Prayer Time

• Pray with your prayer partner ...
1. that the Lord will fill you with the Holy Spirit today.
2. that we are completely aware of the fact that God personally speaks
to us through true prophets.
3. that preaching without the Holy Spirit only brings human results.
83
Day 8 What do we lose when we
don’t pray for the Holy Spirit?
HOLY SPIRIT: NO FORMER RAIN, NO LATTER RAIN

“The former rain, being filled with the Holy Spirit, brings us the necessary
spiritual maturity, which is essential so that we can benefit from the latter
rain.” 98
“The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace
that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the
former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring
up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring
no seed to perfection.” 99
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BIBLICAL SANCTIFICATION

“This work (biblical sanctification) can be accomplished only through faith
in Christ, by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God.” 100
GREAT MISSION WORK WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Could great institutions, successful evangelistic programs and powerful
mission strategies have been developed without the Holy Spirit? Andrew
Murray, the great missionary to South Africa, knew that this scenario was
very possible and, indeed, reality in most of Christendom when he wrote:
“I may preach or write or think or meditate, and delight in being occu-
pied with things in God’s Book and in God’s Kingdom; and yet the power of
the Holy Spirit may be markedly absent. I fear that if you take the preaching
throughout the Church of Christ and ask why there is, alas! so little convert-
ing power in the preaching of the Word, why there is so much work and
98 Dennis Smith, 40 Days—Prayer and Devotions to Revive Your Experience with God, book 2
(Vienna, 2013), p. 175
99 Ellen G. White, The Faith I live By (1958), p. 333.3

often so little success for eternity, why the Word has so little power to build
up believers in holiness and in consecration—the answer will come: It is the
absence of the power of the Holy Spirit. And why is this? There can be no
other reason but that the flesh [see Gal 3:3] and human energy have taken
the place that the Holy Spirit ought to have.” 101
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HEALTH

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true
and proper worship.” (Rom 12:1 NIV)
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God
dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For
the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Cor 3:16-17 NKJV)
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who
is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God’s.” (1 Cor 6:19,20; see also: Exodus 15:26)
People filled with the Holy Spirit are God’s temple. Have you ever
stopped to think what implications this has for your life? A temple is God’s
dwelling place. God said to Moses: “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that
I may dwell among them.” (Ex 25:8)
If we take this statement seriously, then taking care of our health and
our lifestyle will become a deliberate part of our discipleship. Our body
belongs to God. Do you want to treat God’s property carefully? Yes, we
want to treat our bodies carefully and according to God’s instructions!
This demands a certain amount of discipline. Someone, who is filled
with the Holy Spirit, can and will usually implement this discipline with
joy. The reward is better health in body, soul and spirit. Someone, who
isn’t filled with the Holy Spirit, will struggle and suffer disadvantages.
God expects that we maintain the best possible health in body and spirit
for His glory, for His service and for our own joy. In this area there is also
no replacement for being filled with the Holy Spirit. When Jesus lives
in us through the Holy Spirit, then He is also “the Lord who heals you”.
(Exodus 15:26) Healing is always manifest in a way that is best for the
101 Randy Maxwell, If My People Pray (Pacific Press 1995), p. 145
85
person concerned and also to God’s glory. This can raise the question: Does
the divine doctor heal everyone?
“An older Cambodian woman came as a refugee to a mission hospital,
which was in a refugee camp in Thailand. She was dressed in the clothes
of a Buddhist nun. She asked to be treated by Dr. Jesus. So they told her
about Jesus. She placed her trust in Him and was healed body and soul.
When she was able to return to Cambodia she was able to win 37 people
for Christ.” 102
During loyal king Hezekiah’s sickness the Lord sent him a message:
“Surely I will heal you.” (2 Kings 20:1-11) But why didn’t the Lord heal him
with a word, but instead gave him the task of putting on a fig poultice?
Could it be that the Lord expects our participation through natural rem-
edies or changes in our diet, exercise, rest, etc.? Why didn’t God heal
Paul, but left him with a “thorn in his flesh”? Paul himself said: “Lest I
should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations.”
(2 Cor 12:7-10) However Ellen G. White tells us: “The influence of the
Spirit of God is the very best medicine that can be received by a sick man
or woman. Heaven is all health; and the more deeply the heavenly influ-
ences are realized, the more sure will be the recovery of the believing
invalid.” 103
Isn’t it remarkable and significant what a certain business man wrote?
He shared how all the health seminars hadn’t done him any good. But since
he started to daily pray for the Holy Spirit, he had completely shifted to a
healthy lifestyle and had adopted a vegetarian diet. 104 Doesn’t this show
that being filled with the Holy Spirit can motivate us and give us strength
along with joy to accept a healthy lifestyle?
A sister read this experience. She wrote: Through my complete surrender
to Jesus, God changed my life completely in a moment. After my prayer
of surrender I went into the kitchen the next morning, stood by the coffee
machine, shook my head and said to myself: no, I don’t drink coffee any-
more. In the past this would have been unthinkable, because when I tried
to quit drinking coffee, I had had horrible headaches for five days—these
were strong withdrawal symptoms. This time I didn’t even think about
what consequences it would have for me. I only knew that I didn’t want to
102 Author unknown, Our Daily Bread—Worship book (RBC Ministries), 26. Nov. 1993
103 Ellen G. White, Medical Ministries (1932), p.12.3
104 Email from 7.3.2013

drink coffee anymore. Today I have no more desire for coffee. 105 This was
only one of many changes in her life. (I recommend the 5th “Andreasbrief”
or “Andrew Letter” on victory over tobacco and alcohol for anyone who
wants to be free from addictions. It explains in length the way to deliver-
ance through prayer and promises [available in German and English]. 106)
A life with the Holy Spirit will greatly promote health reform. It is a matter
of health information linked with power to change. Don Mackintosh, Direc-
tor of Newstart Global, Weimar, CA, says: “The real need of our day is not
simply health education—we have excellent information. What is needed is
health information coupled with power to put it into practice, which is the
power to change.” 107
Dr. Tim Howe says: “Health education alone is not medical missionary
work. Health education does not provide healing any more than the law
of God provides salvation. To realize health or salvation the transforming
power of God must be experienced.” 108
Finally, I would like to ask the question: What about faith healings? Can
any be expected without being filled with the Holy Spirit? (see Mark 16:17-
18; James 5:14-16)
PREPARATION FOR JESUS’ SECOND COMING

There is no substitute for intimate fellowship with Jesus through the
Holy Spirit as preparation for the Second Coming. When Christ lives in me
through the Holy Spirit, then I am ready through His grace. The three fol-
lowing areas can show this. (This is dealt with in detail in Spirit Baptism and
Earth’s Final Events, by Dennis Smith.)
Personal Relationship to Christ

Jesus said: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3 NKJV) “Know” has
a deeper meaning in the Bible than it does today in the English language.
It means a complete, mutual and loving commitment. It is only present
105 Email from November 18, 2014 from Sister M.

106 Andrew Letter Nr. 5, Victory over Tobacco and Alcohol, www.https://steps-to-personal-
revival.info, button: Victory over Tobacco and Alcohol.
107 Dave Fiedler, D’Sozo (Remnant Publications), Forword
108 Dave Fiedler, D’Sozo (Remnant Publications), Forword
87
in a life with the Holy Spirit. This thought is expressed in the following
quote:
“We must have a living connection with God. We must be clothed with
power from on high by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that we may reach a
higher standard; for there is help for us in no other way.” 109 In the parable
of the 10 virgins Jesus said to the foolish ones: “I do not know you.” What
was the reason? The lack of oil, which represents the lack of the Holy Spirit
(Matt. 25:1-13). The men, who crucified Jesus, had great knowledge of the
Old Testament. But because of their false interpretation they didn’t look for
a personal relationship with Jesus.
Are we aware that the generation of the last days, due to end-time cir-
cumstances, will need an intimate connection to God?
Righteousness by Faith
God’s last message to humanity in the three angels’ message has to do with
the question of the proclamation of the “eternal gospel” (Rev 14: 6-7). What
is the essence of this message that the whole world should and will hear?
It is righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9).
Those who proclaim this last day message with power, must experience the
power of the message themselves. They have to know and experience righ-
teousness by faith through Jesus alone as the forgiver and redeemer from
sin. This is only possible in a life filled with the Holy Spirit through which
Jesus Christ who enables our obedience. Jesus dwelling in us is shown by
obedience to all of God’s commands. The world will be illuminated with
this message (Rev 18:1).
Love for the Truth

What effects will be present in our lives today with or without a life filled
with the Holy Spirit in reference to love for the truth, studying God’s word
and implementing the truth in our lives? 2 Thess 2:10 NKJV says, that “…
those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they
might be saved”. Those, who cannot be misled, have the love of truth in
their hearts. How do we get this love? We can only have it when Jesus Christ
lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Rom 5:5 says that the love in our hearts
comes from the Holy Spirit. Eph 3:17 tells us that we will be “rooted and
109 Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, April 5, 1892

grounded in love” through the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13 the Holy Spirit is
called “the Spirit of truth”. This shows us clearly that it is necessary to be
a spiritual Christian in order to have a love for the truth. Do we have prob-
lems today with the love for the truth, to God’s word, to prophetic writings?
Consider the times ahead of us: “Only those who have been diligent stu-
dents of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be
shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive… Are the
people of God now so firmly established upon His word that they would not
yield to the evidence of their senses?“ 110
God doesn’t ask if we have discovered all truth, but rather He asks if we
love the truth.
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT OR WORKS OF THE FLESH

“The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not
see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one
place as in another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ.
Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit
…” 111
Gal 5:22 NKJV: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith-
fulness, gentleness, self-control. Eph 5:9 NKJV: all goodness, righteousness
and truth.
Gal 5:16-21 NKJV shows us that the power of sin will be broken in us
through the Holy Spirit.
“… walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the
flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are
contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish. But if you
are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (see also Rom 7:23 + 8:1)
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I
also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.”

111 Editor Francis D. Nichol, Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6 (Hagerstown, 1980), p. 1112
89
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
“Under spiritual gifts we mean the gifts given by the working of the Holy
Spirit as they are listed in 1 Cor. 12:28 and Eph 4:11: apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, adminis-
trators, a variety of tongues. These gifts play a part in ‘the equipping of the
saints for the work of ministry’. … They validate the testimony of the church
and give it leadership and guidance.” 112 The Holy Spirit also gives other tal-
ents for specific purposes: “in knowledge and in all manner of workman-
ship” (Exodus 31:2-6) or architecture (1 Chron 28:12, 19).
When we want to become Jesus’ disciples we surrender to Him every-
thing we have and are. Hence all our talents and abilities, inherent as well
as learned, are placed at His disposal. He can give us additional talents
and/or He can refine and purify our natural abilities.
Can we have spiritual gifts when we have a lack of the Holy Spirit?
GOD’S CHOICE OR THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE?

We have a worldwide democratic structure in the church. But it was never
thought of as popular democracy. The real goal of our votes is that every-
one personally listens to God’s voice and casts his vote accordingly. By lis-
tening to God’s voice it makes God’s will known through the vote. We cer-
tainly pray before taking part in any board meetings. Often the opportunity
is given before a vote is cast for personal prayer so that it becomes clear
to each person how God wants them to vote. Nehemiah said: “Then my
God put it into my heart …” (Neh 7:5) and Ellen G. White said about Nehe-
miah chapter 1: “And as he prayed, a holy purpose had been forming in his
mind …” 113
Will a carnal Christian hear God’s voice? If he hasn’t consciously and
completely surrendered to the Lord, then he certainly won’t get an answer
(Ps 66:18; Ps 25:12). If someone, who is a carnal Christian, votes sincerely
to the best of his knowledge, then humanly speaking it is ok. But in the
moment human agreements are made, it becomes manipulation and sin.
The leaders have a great influence on God’s work. It definitely makes a
big difference and can have major consequences if brothers and sisters are
112 Hrsg. Gerhard Rempel, Schlüsselbegriffe adventistischer Glaubenslehre (Hamburg), S. 44

113 Ellen G. White, Southern Watchman (www.egwwritings.org), March 1, 1904

leading who have been called by God or who have been chosen only by a
human vote.
While reading a book on prayer I realized that we may ask God to show us
the way we should go (Ps 32:8). The quiet listening to God’s voice changed
my whole life. I tell about this experience in an article called “From Busi-
ness Representative to Pastor” (only available in German). 114 There is
also a good sermon to listen to from Kurt Hasel “How can I make the right
decisions?” (also only available in German) 115 And there is also a profound
sermon to read from years ago by Henry Drummond: “How can I know
God’s will?” (only available in German) 116
I am convinced that we will directly seek God’s counsel more and more
in the last days.
Joel 2:28-29 indicates this. Ellen G. White comments: “We must individu-
ally hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and
in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more dis-
tinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm
46:10).” 117
MONEY
What differences are there between spiritual and carnal Christians in rela-
tion to gaining and dealing with money? Do we see ourselves as the owners
of our resources or as God’s stewards? “Love of money and love of display
have made this world as a den of thieves and robbers. The Scriptures pic-
ture the greed and oppression that will prevail just before Christ’s second
coming.” 118
GOD’S ANGELS PROTECT GOD-FEARING PEOPLE

God’s angels protect God-fearing people. “The angel of the Lord encamps all
around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” (Ps 34:7 NKJV) “A guardian
114 www.gotterfahren.info—Gott verändert Leben—Vom Prokurist zum Prediger

115 www.gotterfahren.info—Wege zum Ziel: Gott erfahren—Gottes Botschaft für unsere Zeit—
Thema Nr. 11
116 Missionsbrief.de—Predigten lesen—Henry Drummond: Wie erkenne ich den Willen
Gottes? (Deutsch und Englisch)
118 Ellen G. White, Prophet and Kings (1917), p. 651.1
91
angel is appointed to every follower of Christ. These heavenly watchers
shield the righteous from the power of the wicked one.” 119 —When the Bible
talks about God-fearing people, followers of Christ and righteous people
being under God’s protection, does this mean that it applies to anyone who
sees themselves as a Christian? Does it also apply to those who haven’t
completely surrendered their lives to God? It is true for children, because
Jesus said in Matt 18:10 NKJV: “Take heed that you do not despise one of
these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the
face of My Father who is in heaven.” David, who completely entrusted his life
to God, knew that he had no grounds for fear. He said: “The Lord is my light
and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of
whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1 NKJV)
(I recommend that you read the section about the ministry of good
angels in Ch.31 of the book The Great Controversy). This is a great joy for
every child of God.
CLOSING REMARKS
We have only touched on a few areas. There are still many areas of life and
faith which could be added. For all of them the following is true: When we
review the differences now, there is not a single area that doesn’t have
major advantages through a life with the Holy Spirit. And the other way
around, there isn’t a single area where we don’t have great disadvantages
with a life without the Holy Spirit. Shouldn’t this be a great motivation for
us to daily dedicate our lives to God and to ask to be filled with the Holy
Spirit?
“Some years ago a Boeing 707 took off from the Tokyo airport headed for
London. It had a great take off. There was a clear, sunny sky. Soon the pas-
sengers could see the famous Mount Fuji in Japan. All of a sudden the pilot
had the idea to circle around the mountain so that the passengers could
enjoy this rare view.
He left the designated course of flight and changed over to visual flight.
During visual flight the pilot dispenses with the security of the ground con-
trol center and depends completely on what he sees. The pilot saw the

mountain close under him. His altimeter showed 4000 meters. What he
didn’t see was the fall winds and gusts of wind, which raged around Mount
Fuji. The Boeing 707 was no match for the winds. The plane broke in the air,
crashed and all of the passengers died.” 120
The carnal Christian lives in “visual flight mode“. He makes all the deci-
sions himself. In spite of his best intentions he will fail. The spiritual Chris-
tian lives through the Holy Spirit in a loving and trusting relationship with
His Lord, who leads him to a safe destination.
Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you that the indwelling of Jesus

through the Holy Spirit makes such a positive difference in us and
in our work. Please open my eyes even more to the work of the Holy
Spirit. Please give me this fullness of life through Him, which Jesus
wants to give us. Please help me to discover the key to solving this
problem in the next chapter and to put it into practice. Thank you.
Amen.
120 Kalenderzettel February 17, 1979 by Reinhard Petrik
93
I have come to bring fire on
the earth. How I wish the
fire had already started!
Jesus in Luke 12:49 NIRV
WHAT DIFFERENCES CAN WE EXPECT? | DAY 8

1. Can great mission work also take place without the Holy Spirit?
How productive is it?
2. What effect does the Holy Spirit have on my lifestyle? (daily routines,
health, clothing, relationships)
3. What does the “love of the truth” mean for my life?
4. What are spiritual gifts?
Our Prayer Time

1. that the Lord fills you with the Holy Spirit.
2 that you recognize why the end-time generation needs a special mea-
sure of the Holy Spirit.
3. that we deal with money in a manner that can be blessed by God.
95
Day 9 CHAPTER 5
THE KEY TO
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE:
PRAYING WITH PROMISES
How can I implement and experience
God’s solution for me?
PRAYER AND BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

It is important that we go on this journey through faith and that we ask with
faith for the Holy Spirit. That means that after praying for the Holy Spirit we
need to trust and be certain that the Lord has answered our prayer and that
He has already given us the Holy Spirit while asking.
Gal 3:14 NKJV says: “… that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.” Another translation (NIRV) says: “… that we might receive the
promise of the Holy Spirit by believing in Christ.”
God has given us a great help so that we can easily trust our heavenly
Father. We call it “praying with promises”. “To blot the promises of God from
the Word would be like blotting the sun from the sky…. God has placed the
promises in His Word to lead us to have faith in Him.” 121
PRAYING WITH PROMISES

First, here is a helpful example: Let’s assume that my child isn’t good in
French at school. I want to encourage my child to work hard at French. I
121 Ellen G. White My Life Today, p. 338.2
96 CHAPTER 5 THE KEY TO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE PRAYING WITH PROMISES

promise him that if he gets a good grade on his report card that he will
receive $20 from me. The child starts to study hard. I also help him with
French and he really does get a good grade. What happens now? When
the child comes home from school and comes through the front door he
calls loudly: “Dad, $20!” Why is he so certain that he will get $20? Because a
promise had been made and he has fulfilled the requirements. In fact, this
is normal for most people today.
But it could be that at that moment I don’t have $20. Can it be that God
doesn’t have something that He has promised? Impossible!
Or it could be that I take my promise back and say: “I read in a book on
education that you shouldn’t use money to motivate children to study. So I
can’t give you the $20.” Does God change His mind later? Impossible!
We can see that when we have a promise from God and have fulfilled the
requirements, then there is only one possibility: We receive the promise!
Through God’s promises He wants to encourage us to move in a certain
direction. He bids us receive the Holy Spirit, which will give us God’s power
in our lives. He wants to make it easy for us to trust Him. Trust is at the heart
of faith.
Now we want to read some key Bible verses in 1 John 5:14,15 NKJV for
praying with promises: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that
if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
God gives a general promise that He answers prayers that are accord-
ing to His will. God’s will is expressed in commandments and promises. We
may rely on them in our prayers. Then in verse 15 it goes on to say: “And if
we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the peti-
tions that we have asked of Him.”
Another translation (NIRV) says: “If we know that God hears what we ask
for, we know that we have it.”
What does that mean? Our prayers according to God’s will are answered
in the same moment that we bring them to God. But emotionally we usu-
ally don’t notice anything. Our prayers are answered by faith, not by our
feelings. The feelings will come later on.
In praying with nicotine and alcohol addicted people I have learned: At
the moment when they pray for deliverance they don’t notice anything.
They receive the answer by faith. But a few hours later they notice that they
don’t have any craving for tobacco or alcohol anymore. At this moment
they have received the practical answer to their prayer.
97
Jesus said in Mark 11:24 NKJV: “Therefore I say to you, whatever things
you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have
them.”
Ellen G. White said: “We need look for no outward evidence of the bless-
ing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that
what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we
already possess, will be realized when we need it most.” 122
So we shouldn’t be searching for outward proof or an emotional experi-
ence. Roger J. Morneau said: “The spirits [demons] would encourage peo-
ple to listen to their feelings instead of the word of Christ and His prophets.
In no surer way could the spirits obtain control of people’s lives without the
individuals realizing what was happening.” 123
Praying with promises opens God’s treasury for us. Our loving heavenly
Father opens an inexhaustible account for us. “They (the disciples) may
expect large things if they have faith in His promises.” 124
Ellen White says: “… plead for the Holy Spirit. God stands behind of every
promise He has made. With your Bibles in your hands, say: ‘I have done as
Thou hast said. I present Thy promise, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ Christ declares: ‘What
things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them.’ ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.’ (Matthew 7:7; Mark 11:24; Joh 14:13)“ 125
TWO GROUPS OF PROMISES

At the same time it is important to make a careful distinction between
the promises in the Bible. “The spiritual promises - for forgiveness of sin,
for the Holy Spirit, for power to do His work - are always available (see
Acts 2:38,39). But the promises for temporal blessings, even for life itself,
are given on occasion and withheld on occasion, as God’s providence sees
best.” 126
122 Ellen G. White, Education (1903), p. 258.2

123 Roger J. Morneau, A Trip into the Supernatural, Review and Herald 1982, p. 43
125 Ellen G. White, Testimony Treasure, vol. 3, p. 213.2
126 Morris L. Venden, 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith (Pacific Press 1987), p. 60

Here is an example: Isa 43:2 NKJV “When you walk through the fire, you
shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” God kept this promise
in a wonderful way for the three friends in the fiery furnace (Dan 3). But on
the other hand, the reformers Hus and Jerome were burned at the stake
in Constance. We could say that their prayers weren’t answered. But nev-
ertheless, weren’t they answered in a fashion that we aren’t acquainted
with? Why? A papal writer described the death of these martyrs as fol-
lows: “Both bore themselves with constant mind when their last hour
approached. They prepared for the fire as if they were going to a marriage
feast. They uttered no cry of pain. When the flames rose, they began to
sing hymns; and scarce could the vehemency of the fire stop their sing-
ing.” 127 If someone is burned, they can only scream. Their behavior shows
that God did intervene, just not in the manner which is readily visible for
us. This shows me that the temporal promises still have significance for
us.
THANKING FOR THE ANSWER

Now for another important aspect. When our requests have been granted
at the moment we asked, then it is right to thank God for the answer in the
next. Our thanks at this moment expresses our trust in God that He has
answered our prayer and that we expect it to be fulfilled when we need it
most. Some believers notice something immediately after they pray. But
for many believers it is similar to Elijah’s experience: The Lord wasn’t in the
storm, in the earthquake or in the fire, but rather in the still, small voice
(1 Kings 19:11-12). This was also my experience.
After a long period of time I thought nothing had happened. Then I sud-
denly noticed that many things had taken place in me without me realizing
it.
127 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (1911), p. 109.3 Neander, “Kirchengeschichte“,
6. Per., 2. Abschnitt, 2. Teil, § 69; Hefele „Konziliengeschichte“ Bd. VI, S. 209 f
99
CHANGE MY THINKING
This means: It is necessary to change my thinking at this moment: “… but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind …” (Rom 12:2 NKJV)
Now it is correct to say: Thank you that you answered my prayer. Thank
you for already granting my request. Thank you that I will experience it at
the right time.
This is not self-manipulation. With self-manipulation I am trying to per-
suade myself. When I have prayed with a promise, then I have a divine basis
for my changed thinking because I have already been answered through
faith. In this case, if I don’t change my thinking, then I am showing God I
don’t trust Him, but am relying on my feelings. With this behavior I am mak-
ing God a liar and will therefore not receive anything.
It is also important that I act accordingly, even when I don’t notice any-
thing. God always integrates the necessity to believe. He wants us to trust
Him. Think about the crossing of the Jordan River. The priests first had to
step into the water and then the water divided. Naaman had to dip in the
water seven times before he was healed.
Maybe you are saying: “I can’t do that. I can’t even imagine doing that.”
Please remember that there are a lot of things we can’t explain. To this day,
we don’t know what electricity is, yet we all use it. Neither do we know
how children learn to talk, but they all learn to communicate. “In the nat-
ural world we are constantly surrounded with wonders beyond our com-
prehension. Should we then be surprised to find in the spiritual world also
mysteries that we cannot fathom?” 128
Let’s think about Prov 3:5-6 NKJV: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct your paths.” Here we find clear prerequisites from God
for this promise of directing our paths. Every prerequisite is also a com-
mandment. If we aren’t sure that we have fulfilled the prerequisite, then we
may pray for willingness with the surety that the Lord will answer us imme-
diately. “… but if you are ‘willing to be made willing’, God will accomplish
the work for you …” 129
Something small that may help: Do we know what we are doing when
we have prayed with God’s promise, have fulfilled the requirement and
then doubt being answered? We are making God into a liar. Under no
128 Ellen G. White, Education (1903), p. 170.1

129 Ellen G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing (1896), p. 142.1

circumstances do we want to do that. In this case, pray: Lord, I believe, help
my unbelief. Then trust!
(Another reading recommendation: There is very valuable advice on
praying with promises in the chapter “Faith and Prayer” in the book Edu-
cation by Ellen G. White. )
PRAYING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

I think we have the best qualifications for praying to be filled with the Holy
Spirit. But we shouldn’t forget that it doesn’t have to do with making God
willing to do our will, but rather believing in His promises and His trust
worthiness.
PROMISE FOR RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Lord has given us wonderful promises for receiving the Holy Spirit:
Luke 11:13 NKJV: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask Him!”
Hasn’t our heavenly Father made a binding commitment here? The
requirement in this wonderful promise is: ask! Yet Jesus doesn’t mean to
ask one time, but to make a constant appeal.
However, it is important to see the context here. We should also read the
other texts which speak about the same thing, for example:
Acts 5:32 NKJV: “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is
the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
The requirement here is: obedience! We can see here that we can’t sup-
port ourselves with only one text: we also have to consider the context of
the promise. It doesn’t have to do with being obedient once with some-
thing that is pleasant for us. Rather, it has to do with obeying Him: our won-
derful redeemer and friend. Obedience creates joy. Pray every morning for
an obedient heart. Pray that the Lord will make you willing to do everything
He wants to and will certainly help you accomplish it. This creates a good
prerequisite.
101
John 7:37 NKJV: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
Here it has to do with the desire for the Holy Spirit. If you have no desire,
or think you have too little, then you may pray for desire. It is a request
according to God’s will, which will be immediately answered. When we ask
our wonderful God He will create in us “the desire and the accomplish-
ment”. We may also pray for the desire for a close relationship with God,
to love Him with our whole hearts, to serve Him with joy, to have a growing
desire for Jesus and His soon return and reunion in God’s kingdom, a desire
to read God’s word and to learn from it, as well as the desire to help and be
equipped to help save the lost.
John 7: 38-39 NKJV: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out
of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the
Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive.”
Here the condition is: belief! We see here that our faith in Jesus Christ,
our trust in God, is an important prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit.
But when we pray with promises, then believing is easy.
Gal 5:16 NKJV: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh.”
We actually have a promise here, which is expressed as a command.
When God wants me to walk in the Spirit, then that clearly means that He
wants to fill me with the Holy Spirit. And He shows us here that when we
are filled with the Holy Spirit, then we aren’t at the mercy of our lusts any-
more. The Holy Spirit breaks the power of sin in us (Rom 8:1-17, especially
v. 2). Through the Holy Spirit “the deeds of our body” are put to death (Rom
8:13). Think of Paul, who said about himself: “I die daily.” It is something
tremendously valuable not to be at the mercy of the works of the body (Gal
5:18-21), but rather to grow the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).
We can compare sin not being able to invade our lives to the assembly
of binoculars. In order for no dust to get into the lenses the room has to be
over-pressurized. This means that the air moves outwards when the door
is opened. No dust can enter. In the same way, when we are filled with the
Holy Spirit, “you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. (Additional informa-
tion on this subject is in the section: “Can a person remain spiritual?” at the
end of the chapter.)

Eph 3:16-17+19 NKJV: “That He would grant you, according to the riches
of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner
man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being
rooted and grounded in love … that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God.”
Maybe we don’t notice any of the power for a long time. It could be like
it is in nature. In the winter the trees are bare and in spring they are green.
There are tremendous powers at work in this revitalization. We cannot see
or hear them. But then we see the results. That is the way it was for me. I
thank God that He gives me abundant power.
Another example: We have known for a few decades that we have elec-
tric currents in our bodies. They are there. But we aren’t aware of them.
Eph 5:18 NKJV: “...be filled with the Spirit” or “let yourself be continually
and repeatedly refilled with the Spirit”. 130
Acts 1:8 NKJV: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me …”
The disciples were commanded to wait until the power came. They
didn’t wait idly. “The disciples prayed with intense earnestness for a fitness
to meet men in their daily intercourse to speak words that would lead sin-
ners to Christ. Putting away all differences, all desire for supremacy, they
came closer in Christian fellowship.” 131 We may also pray with this promise.
131 Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 37.1. egwwritings.org
103
WHAT DO PASTORS SAY? (PART 2)
I reached my full complete ministry.

God is so good and has blessed us all through this amazing book. I am a
retired pastor. When I first read this book, it changed my whole life. I have
read it four times and conducted three seminars Steps to Personal Revival.
After the second series of seminars, I felt that I have now reached my full
complete ministry. P. J. 261118 from Papua Newguinea
Steps book found at www.revivalandreformation.org

of the General Conference
I was blessed by the book Steps to Personal Revival It has been a touching
experience for me to read this book. My life has changed, and after having
read it several times in three months, I have shared this message with sev-
eral churches. I have also passed the soft copy of the book on to all pastors
at the Conference Pastors’ Meeting [Conference 80,000 members].
I found the book on the website Revival and Reformation of the General
Conference. I was looking for valuable thoughts for a revival seminar. There
I found the book in Swahili and used it in the seminar. It was a great experi-
ence for me. I pray that the same fire will reach every leader and every pas-
tor and all the members of our church.
L. M. 08072019 from Tanzania/East Africa – shortened, #140
I put off reading because I thought I already knew it to well. I was so

wrong.
I praise the Lord for the booklet Steps to Personal Revival. …I remember
being given this booklet in January, but I put off reading because I thought
I already knew it to well. I was so wrong. Then as I seek again for the baptism
of the Holy Spirit, 3 or 4 weeks ago, a colleague sent me a pdf copy of this
booklet. I was so excited that it came, while I needed it most. While read-
ing I fell on my knees asking the Lord for forgiveness for why I had allowed
myself to neglect this very important area of my life. Yesterday, Sabbath,
I fasted and prayed and surrendered my life again to the Lord and asked Him
to use me and show me clearly the specific ministry that He wants me to do
for Him. My work requires me to travel to different countries every month …
I believe that this is a great opportunity for me to pass on this very impor-
tant message through the power of the Holy Spirit to our brothers and sis-
ters. M. A. EE130518 from Philippines, #109

THE KEY TO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE PRAYING WITH PROMISES | DAY 9

1. When we claim promises in prayer, why can we expect this prayer to be
answered?
2. What am I saying to God when I have claimed a promise in prayer and

don’t expect it to be answered?
3. What are the two categories of promises? What is the difference between
these two groups?
4. List a few promises dealing with the Holy Spirit:
Our Prayer Time

1. that the Lord fills you with the Holy Spirit.
2. that your prayers will be strengthened through claiming promises.
3. thank God that His word doesn’t return empty.
105
Day 10 How should I pray
so that I am sure of being filled
with the Holy Spirit?
NO POSITIVE RESULT …?
“A young man was looking for counsel, since he wanted to be filled with
the Holy Spirit. He was really struggling. The pastor asked him: ‘Have you
completely submitted your will to God?’ ‘I don’t think I completely have.’
‘Well’, said the pastor, ‘then it won’t do any good to pray [to be filled with
the Holy Spirit], till you have completely submitted your will to God. Don’t
you want to submit your will to God now?’ ‘I can‘t’, he replied. ‘Are you will-
ing for God to do it for you?’ ‘Yes’, he answered. ‘Then ask Him to do it.’ He
prayed: ‘Oh God, empty me from my own will. Bring me into complete sub-
mission to your will. Lay down my will for me. I pray in Jesus’ name.’ Then
the pastor asked: ‘Did it happen?’ ‘It must have’, he said. ‘I asked God for
something according to His will and I know that He answered me and that
I have that which I prayed for (1 John 5:14-15). Yes, it has happened—my
will has been laid down.’ Then the pastor said: ‘Now pray for the baptism of
the Holy Spirit [being filled with the Holy Spirit].’ He prayed: ‘Oh God, bap-
tize me now with Your Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus’ name.’ And it happened
immediately when he laid down his will.” 132
THE GREAT DIFFERENCE BEFORE AND AFTER

Even though I was acquainted with praying with promises for a long time
and used it in special situations and experienced wonderful answers to
prayer, I thought for many years that it was good enough if I just simply asked
for the Holy Spirit in prayer without relying on specific promises. I know
that many have the same opinion. I don’t want to say that this is some-
thing wrong. But when I look back at my personal experience, I regret
132 Reuben A. Torrey, Der Heilige Geist – Sein Wesen und Wirken (Frankfurt, 1966), S. 150

that I prayed this way without any promises. For a few years now I have
been praying daily with promises for the Holy Spirit, so that after my prayer I
have the assurance that I am now filled with the Holy Spirit. Through an expe-
rience on October 28, 2011 I realized the great difference in my life: before
and after. (more page 108)
Since I have started praying with promises my relationship with God has
become more intimate and Jesus is closer to me and has become greater
to me. This isn’t just a subjective feeling; I can link it to the following things:
While reading the Bible I often have new and encouraging insights.
In the battle with temptation I can remain victorious.
My prayer time has become very precious to me and brings me great joy.
God answers many of my prayers.
I have greater joy and more “boldness” (Acts 4:31c) to tell others about
Jesus.
I have become more sociable with my own friends.
I live happily through God’s grace and feel secure in His hand.
In a difficult phase—my dear wife was ill and disabled for four years and
then died—our the Lord sustained me in a wonderful way and strength-
ened me from within.
I realized what spiritual gifts the Lord had given me.
Criticism stopped. When I hear others criticizing I feel uncomfortable.
The change took place quietly. I noticed it first after I had spent some
time daily praying for the Holy Spirit with biblical promises. Since then I
am experiencing a different kind of Christianity. Previously my life with God
was often laborious and difficult; now I experience joy and power.
I am sorry for the losses in my personal life because of the lack of the
Holy Spirit, for the losses within my marriage and family and for the losses
in the churches where I served as a pastor. When I realized this I asked the
Lord for forgiveness.
It is unfortunately true in this area that we can’t lead anyone further than
we are ourselves. We also want to remember that the personal shortcom-
ings of individuals in the family and the church add up or multiply.
In order for others not to lament the same mistakes in their lives, I want
to add a few thoughts.
In 2 Peter 1:3-4 it says that through an intimate relationship with Jesus
we may “through the … great and precious promises … be partakers of the
divine nature”.
107
This also means that the Holy Spirit is given to me through the promises.
You can compare the promises to bank checks. When we present a signed
check from an account holder, we can withdraw money from someone
else’s account. As God’s children (John 1:12) we can daily withdraw with
the checks (the promises) signed by Jesus. It wouldn’t do any good to pres-
ent our own checks, even if we had the checks made by an artist. We need
the signed checks from the account holder.
There is another reason which may encourage us to pray with promises.
There is power in God’s word. Why did Jesus pray on the cross three times
with words from the Psalms? Why did He defend himself and rout Satan
with Bible verses during Satan’s temptations in the wilderness? (Matt. 4:4,
7,10) He said: “Man lives through every word that proceeds out of the mouth
of God.”
Jesus, the creator, knew that there is power in God’s word. “In every
command and in every promise of the word of God is the power, the very
life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise real-
ized.” 133 What a wonderful statement! The power of God and His life are in
every promise. When we pray with promises we are using God’s word in our
prayer. It says about God’s word: “So shall My word be that goes forth from
My mouth; it shall not return to Me void…” (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
I plan only to pray for the Holy Spirit with promises. When praying
with promises I know that after I have asked for the Holy Spirit that I have
received Him based on the promise in God’s word in 1 John 5:15 NKJV:
“And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we have asked of Him.” When I pray without a promise,
then I hope that my prayer will be answered. It’s better to take the time for
a prayer like this and experience a blessed day, rather than to complain
about failures in the evening.
I received an email which was written with great joy: “I never thought it
was possible that it would make such a big difference if I prayed for God’s
leading throughout the day with ‘my own words’ or if I prayed with prom-
ises from the Bible! Promises have always been very important to me. I
have always believed in them, but I failed to claim them daily. My life with
Jesus has gained a deeper, more joyful, more confident and calmer dimen-
sion. I thank God for this.” 134
133 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (1900), p. 38.2

134 Email to H. Haubeil C. S.

For this reason, I have decided to share an example of a prayer with
promises for the Holy Spirit. Naturally, it can be shortened. It is important
that we learn to pray for ourselves directly from God’s word. But the vital
point is that our faith is strengthened by the promises in such a way that
after we have prayed we have the assurance that we have received the Holy
Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit when we believe what we pray.
Jesus himself wants to live in us through the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:24;
John 14:23). Ellen G. White said: “The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life
of Christ in the soul.” 135 The power that changed Peter, Paul and many other
people is also available to us. He also gives us the verse, “that He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might
through His Spirit in the inner man”. (Eph 3:16)
Being filled by the Holy Spirit is the key to a life of faith, joy, power, love
and victory over sin. “… where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor
3:17b)
In a message I received it said the following: “Many church members
daily pray the suggested prayer in twos. For the last five months I have
been praying it with my girlfriend. Not only is everything progressing in per-
sonal areas, but also in the home, relationship, marriage, spiritually and in
church—not in a manner that causes great conflicts, but rather it happens
in a quiet, natural way. We are amazed and see this as God’s clarification
process, which can make life easier in ways, since we feel God’s closeness
more and more.” 136
CAN A PERSON REMAIN SPIRITUAL?

Yes! When we don’t allow an attitude of unbelief to develop and we breathe
spiritually: “exhaling” by confessing our sins and “inhaling” by making use
of God’s love and forgiveness and by renewing our prayer of faith to be
filled with the Holy Spirit. 137
It is like the relationship with our children. When a child is disobedient,
he/she still remains our child. But we feel a disruption in the relationship.
The child may not be able to look us in the eye. This disruption is corrected
by confessing.
135 Editor Francis D. Nichol, Adventist Bible Commentary vol. 6 (Hagerstown, 1980), p. 1112
136 Email to Helmut Haubeil: E.S.
137 Helmut Haubeil & Gerhard Padderatz, Gott, Geld & Glaube (Eckental, 2009), p. 97
109
A MODEL PRAYER WITH PROMISES FOR THE DAILY
RENEWING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Father in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus our Savior. You
said: Give me your heart. (Prov 23:26) I want to do that now by sub
mitting myself to you today with everything I am and have. 1 Thank
you that you have already answered this prayer according to Your will,
because Your word says that if we pray according to Your will we know
that we have already received it (1 John 5:15). And you also said that
you would by no means cast anyone out who comes to you (John 6:37).
Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask Him.” (Luk 11:13)
You further said that you would give the Holy Spirit to those, who
believe in you (John 7:38-39), who obey you (Acts 5:32), who let them-
selves be renewed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) and who walk in the
Spirit (Gal 5:16). This is my desire. Please accomplish this in me. For
this reason I sincerely ask you Father to give me the Holy Spirit today.
Since it is a request according to Your will, I thank You that have given
me the Holy Spirit now (1 John 5:15). Thank You that I have received
Your divine love at the same time, because Your word says: “The love
of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 5:5;
Eph 3:17) I want to say with the psalmist: “I will love You, O Lord, my
strength.” (Psalm 18:1) Thank you that I can love my fellow human
beings with Your love.
Thank You that through the Holy Spirit the power of sin has been bro-
ken in me (Rom 8:13, Gal 5:16). Please save and protect me today from
sin and from the world, give me protection from the fallen angels, save
me from temptations and when necessary snatch me and save me from
my old corrupt nature (1. John 5:18).
And please help me to be Your witness in word and deed (Acts 1:8).
I praise You and thank You for hearing my prayer. Amen.
1 “Only those who will become co-workers with Christ, only those who will say,
Lord, all I have and all I am is Thine, will be acknowledged as sons and daughters
of God.” Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p. 523.1

But a person can naturally become carnal again in the long-run. The
Bible doesn’t speak about “once saved, always saved”. Our sinful nature
still exists. “None of the apostles and prophets ever claimed to be without
sin.” 138
But through a life with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus in our hearts the
power of sin is broken so that we can live a happy and strong Christian life.
Our righteousness is only in Jesus Christ “…who became for us wisdom
from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30
NKJV). This important topic is dealt with in detail in the booklet Abide in
Jesus, chapter 3: “Jesus abiding in you”
If we have become carnal again by a lengthy neglect of the spiritual life
or by the failure to breathe spiritually, then we can know that a compas-
sionate redeemer is waiting for us.
It is important that we know the way that we can be renewed by God’s
grace and hopefully lead a spiritual life forever. No one need remain carnal.
But remember both personally and in general what Randy Maxwell said:
“Do we think that the resuscitation of God’s church from near spiritual
death can be accomplished without effort?” 139
The abundant life here and eternal life in the future, the salvation of
many people and our thanks for Jesus’ great sacrifice, is worth the effort.
The crucial thing is meeting our Lord in the morning for worship. It is here
that He equips us with power.
WE READ THE FOLLOWING ABOUT THE APOSTLE JOHN:

“Day by day his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost sight of
self in love for his Master. His resentful, ambitious temper was yielded to
the molding power of Christ. The regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit
renewed his heart. The power of the love of Christ wrought a transforma-
tion of character. This is the sure result of union with Jesus. When Christ
abides in the heart, the whole nature is transformed.” 140
“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law.” (Ps 119:18
NKJV) Thank You that you are leading me and I can say: “I rejoice at Your
word as one who finds great treasure.” (Ps 119:162 NKJV)

139 Randy Maxwell, If My People Pray (Pacific Press,1995), p. 158
111
Invisible armies of light
and power attend the meek
and lowly ones who believe and claim
the promises of God.
Ellen White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 176

THE KEY TO PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE PRAYING WITH PROMISES | DAY 10

I invite you to print out the example prayer. Put it where you have your
morning worship. At first, it may feel strange to pray a written prayer. Read
the prayer, pray the prayer and within a short time it will become more
natural for you.
1. Why don’t we need to have any reservations about using a written prayer?
2. What are the results of claiming promises in prayer?
3. A suggestion: study the two key passages for claiming promises in prayer
in different Bible translations. (1 John 5:14.15 and 2 Peter 1:3.4)
4. Why is it worthwhile to daily place yourself under God’s protection?
5. How can we remain spiritual Christians?
Our Prayer Time

1. that the Lord will fill us with His Holy Spirit today.
2. that we daily place ourselves under God’s special protection.
3. that we remain consistent spiritual Christians.
113
Day 11 CHAPTER 6
WHAT EXPERIENCES LIE

AHEAD OF US?
Personal experiences, as well as experiences from

churches, a conference and a union
THE EXPERIENCE OF A BROTHER

“For the past two years I have been praying daily for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit in my life. My request is that Jesus will thus live in me in greater
abundance each day. My walk with God [during this time] has been unbe-
lievable. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 has become more visible in my
life since I ask Jesus to live in me, to do His will in me and to daily renew me
with the Holy Spirit. I have greater joy in reading the Bible, sharing Christ
with others and I have a strong desire to pray for others; furthermore, my
life-style has changed dramatically. I see this all as a confirmation of my
daily search for God and my daily request for the Holy Spirit.” C. H.
He shared further: “I challenge you to pray daily to be filled with the
Holy Spirit for six weeks and see what happens.”
PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF DWIGHT NELSON

We want to share a personal testimony. It is from Dwight Nelson, the
senior pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University. The
prayer ministry of the General Conference sent the prayer letter to 40,000
subscribers.
114 CHAPTER 6 WHAT EXPERIENCES LIE AHEAD OF US?

How Steps to Personal Revival changed my life
“I never anticipated how this booklet would dramatically change my life—
how I pray, how I preach, how I treat other people—it has changed my min-
istry. In all my years of schooling, preaching and teaching no one ever told
me that the Bible and Ellen White call us to daily pray for a new baptism of
the Holy Spirit. As a pastor how could I have worked and preached so long
without learning about such an important truth!
But that is exactly what Helmut Haubeil’s book Steps to Personal Revival
taught me. By the time I arrived home, I had already read the book. To date
I have read the book four times and my life has changed. Ask my wife and
the members of my church! For years I held sermons on receiving the Holy
Spirit and held series on this important topic. But now I have discovered a
way to meet Jesus every morning and to do what Jesus did as a human: He
prayed for a new baptism of His Spirit.
I humbly confess that God has set the bar higher for my prayer life.
I always spent a lot of time reading the Bible, but comparatively little time
in prayer. Now it is the opposite. I spend a lot of time praying in my “closet”
on my knees talking with God and only then do I pick up His Word so that
He can talk to me.
My sermons have acquired a new freedom and intensity. My leadership
in my team and church have risen to a higher plane. Suddenly, I am expe-
riencing more “coincidences” (sometimes called synchronicity). It is as if
someone is orchestrating my days and nights, my “coincidental” meetings,
emails and conversations. It is as if the Holy Spirit is personally directing my
waking hours (and even my sleeping hours). I have really gotten to know
God as a personal and truly dear friend.
Why am I telling you this? In no way do I profit from it. But I am sincerely
convinced that you will profit from it. Jesus is coming soon. We still have
to reach a world, a whole generation with the eternal gospel. We can never
accomplish this commission alone. We can only hope that we learn what
Jesus knew, that we practice what Paul and the first disciples did. We need
a DAILY baptism with the Holy Spirit for our life and our ministry. And we
will only receive it, when we daily humbly ask for it.
I don’t know who you are, but I am praying for you as I write this. We
receive the promised blessing when we ask for it. Jesus promised: “If you
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
(Luke 11;13 NKJV) Don’t you also want to daily ask for the Holy Spirit?
115
40 DAYS OF PRAYER IN SERBIA
“In September 2010, we translated and published the book 40 Days—
Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming. We made it avail-
able to all church members in our union. Then we organized weekly and
daily prayer meetings during the following 40 Days in local churches and in
members’ homes, where people fasted and prayed for a fresh outpouring
of the Holy Spirit.
As this happened, a completely new climate began to develop in the
local congregations. Inactive church members have become active and
more interested in serving others. Those, who fought with each other for
years over different issues (and had even stopped talking with each other!),
reconciled, and began making plans for community outreach together.
Then in October 2010, during the Annual Council, “the Revival & Refor-
mation initiative” was introduced. We gladly accepted it, seeing it as a con-
tinuation of what God had already started in our Union.
We have seen closer fellowship, greater unity and better common under-
standing among the Union officials as immediate results of these prayer
meetings.” 141
40 DAYS OF PRAYER IN ZURICH / SWITZERLAND

“Our pastor and I each received independently from each other a book
whose contents thrilled us. Its title is: 40 Days—Prayers and Devotions to
Prepare for the Second Coming by Dennis Smith, Review and Herald Pub-
lishing Association. This book can’t be read and then just set aside. The
contents changed my life.
Since our church in Zurich-Wolfswinkel (with about 100 members)
sensed a great need for revival and prayer, we planned 40 Days of Prayer for
the fall of 2011. The book gave detailed and valuable information for this
and in addition, 40 appropriate daily worships.
The topics deal with being filled by the Holy Spirit, prayer, preaching, the
life of Jesus and spiritual fellowship.
So we started our 40 Days on October 1, 2011 with great anticipation
and expectation. Fortunately, most of the church members took part.
Prayer partners met to pray daily, text messages were sent daily and people
141 M. Trajkovska, Southern European Union, Belgrade, quoted in

www.revivalandreformation.org

prayed over the phone every day. One group met every morning at 6 a.m.
for worship and prayer.
Our 40 Days were an unforgettable experience. God answered many of
our prayers, especially in connection with a series of lectures on biblical
prophecy, which took place at the same time. These lectures were a great
blessing. We had many visitors and 20 people registered for the following
prophecy seminar. (Follow-up in March 2013: Between 50-60 guests came,
which hasn’t happened in Zurich in 20 years.)
God’s Spirit has made ongoing changes in our church and it is a joy to
see how our small groups are starting to grow and how church members,
who are eager to give Bible studies, find interested people. Those who par-
ticipated now have a deep desire for the continuation of the work of God’s
Spirit. We want to thank Him from our whole hearts and give Him the glory.”
Béatrice Egger, from the Adventist church in Zurich-Wolfswinkel.
40 DAYS OF PRAYER AND EVANGELISM

IN COLOGNE / GERMANY
Pastor Joao Lotze is German-Brazilian. He worked for 38 years in churches
and hospitals in Brazil, as well as in a union and the South American Divi-
sion. He retired in March 2012. He and his wife agreed to come to Cologne
as “His Hands Missionaries” and work in the Portuguese and Spanish
speaking churches.
“We started in Cologne with small care groups to encourage the church
members and to invite guests. Based on our experiences in Brazil we car-
ried out 40 Days of Prayer in Cologne. The materials were available in Por-
tuguese.
The churches with Portuguese, Spanish and German speaking members
joyfully started the 40 Days of Prayer. We prayed daily for 100 friends and
acquaintances. These peoples’ names were written on a black board in the
church. Not until we had reached the 30th to 35th day of prayer did we let
these people know we were praying for them and at the same time invited
them to a special Sabbath service for guests. 120 people came to this spe-
cial church service. Christian Badorrek, the director of Personal Ministries
for Nordrhein-Westfalen, held the sermon. Some of the guests cried with
joy when they saw their names on the board.
Afterwards, Antonio Goncalves, an evangelist from Brazil, held an
evangelistic series for 15 days. Each evening he spoke for 1,5 hours (with
117
translation). The title of the series was: ‘Let the Bible surprise you’. The top-
ics had to do with the second coming, as well as topics from Daniel and
Revelation. The lectures and the songs were translated from Portuguese
into German. There were small choirs and good music each evening. Every
evening closed with an altar call. We are thankful for the good reactions.
The church members prayed intensively, especially for the people from the
40 Days of Prayer.
Our church sanctuary seats 80 people. But more than 100 people came.
On the weekends the church was full and during the week there were about
60 people. 32 guests attended regularly. This led to 8 baptisms and 14 people
joining the baptismal class. By the end of the year 13 people were baptized.
We have had many surprising experiences. It was difficult to find a trans-
lator. A catholic teacher offered to help. But she didn’t have much expe-
rience with the Bible. Then we prayed for a protestant translator. Soon
afterwards we got to know a lady in a restaurant, who explained that she
translated with great joy from Portuguese to German in the Pentecostal
church. She was our translator for the evangelistic series and she was also
baptized.
Maria, the translator, asked if she could invite her friend Elisabeth to
come. She is the leader of a small Columbian church in Cologne with 13
members. She came and brought members from her church with her. Since
then two of these people have also been baptized. Elisabeth and her family
are now receiving Bible studies.
Another experience is connected with the Hope Channel. A German
woman found the Hope Channel by coincidence and was impressed by
what she heard, including what was said about the Sabbath. She invited her
husband to listen with her. He also enjoyed the messages. One day when
they went to visit her mother, they were impressed to drive along another
route. Along the way they saw a sign for a Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
They realized they were the Adventists from Hope Channel. On Sabbath
she went to the church service. Then she invited her husband and then her
mother to join her. Since then all three of them have been baptized.
Another experience involves a Russian-German sister. She took part in
the 40 Days of worship and started to pray for her Russian speaking neigh-
bors. When she told one of her neighbors that she was praying for her, the
neighbor was very surprised and said that she was looking for a church that
kept the biblical Sabbath. She and other neighbors came to the evangelis-
tic series. Two of them have been baptized.

Another experience involves a woman named Jeanne. She had been
a member of the Baptist church in Brazil and now she was searching in
Cologne for a Portuguese speaking church. She got in touch with the Adven-
tist church, received Bible studies and was baptized. After her conversion
she called her relatives in Brazil and told her uncle, who is an Adventist,
that she is also an Adventist now. It was a big surprise for her mother, her
siblings and the Baptist church in Brazil, which she had been a member
of. Her family in Brazil subsequently visited an Adventist church to inform
themselves about the Sabbath. This has led to five people being baptized in
Brazil: her mother, two of her sisters and other relatives. Now she is praying
for the conversion of her other sister, who lives in Argentina. She wants to
be together with them in God’s kingdom.
Under God’s leading we have had many other experiences. At the first
baptism eight people were baptized—one each from Italy, Germany, Peru,
Brazil, Ukraine, Venezuela, Columbia and Russia.
In the fall we again had an evangelistic series in connection with the 40
Days of Worship. Jimmy Cardoso and his wife, who originally come from
Brazil, but now live in the USA, held the evangelistic series. Although the
series only lasted a week, we were able to baptize four dear people at the
end. They had been having Bible studies previously. There were three Ger-
mans and one Italian.
Both of the baptisms were held in the main church in Cologne, which has
400 members and a beautiful baptismal facility.
We thank God that He surprised us in such a great way. I am convinced
that He still has even greater experiences waiting for us. Please keep us in
your prayers.” João Lotze, Cologne, Germany
Vital Intercession: “I first just simply read the book [the 40 Days book]
through. From the first page on I was very impressed. We shouldn’t only pray
for someone, but also affectionately care for them. This makes intercession
come alive. Unfortunately, I had never seen intercession in this way before.
Living out your faith! I am convinced that it is just as important for the per-
son, who is praying, as it is for the person, who is being prayed for. Likewise,
it convinced me from the start that the fellowship in the church would be
strengthened. Oh, I hope that such fellowship will happen as it is described
in the last chapters of the book. To be honest, I had to cry, because I have
yearned for such fellowship for a long time. I am convinced that the book
‘Christ in me’ nurtures us and frees us from our own accomplishments. I
119
have read several books about ‘Christ in me’, but this book seems to be
the most helpful. I believe that your prayer life will be strengthened by
this book, that the fellowship in the church will be nurtured and that it will
make intercession more alive. This book gives me hope for myself, for the
church and for the world. I thank God for this book. Next, I plan to study the
40 Days guide book, pray over it and then take it wherever God shows me.”
A few weeks later I received another email from this sister. “As you know
I simply read the book through at first. But since I have started to study
the worships with my prayer partner I have discovered that they are even
more valuable than I thought at first. I have gotten answers to things which
I hadn’t been able to on my own. Thank God for my prayer partner, who is
participating intensively and actively.” H. K.
Not sure anymore: “The booklet Steps to Personal Revival has touched me
extraordinarily. … Having been born in an Adventist family I believed I was
taking the right path. The chapter on the ten virgins and especially Romans
8:9b: ‘Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His’ really
shocked me. I suddenly wasn’t sure anymore if I had the Holy Spirit and
if He was working in me, because I was sorely missing the corresponding
‘fruits’ in my life. This Sabbath afternoon I finished reading the booklet and
a profound and fathomless sadness came over me. Then I read the prayer
near the end of the book and a deep desire arose within me to receive
the Holy Spirit, to let Him change my heart and that God would form me
according to His will. …” A. P.
Know HIM: “Some time ago I read your article on revival. I have been preoc-
cupied with this topic for about three years. Now, I just started to read Steps
to Personal Revival. I can only say AMEN to it! I am glad that in these pages
I found many of ‘my own’ thoughts. I am under the impression that in our
church we are missing the goal by an inch. I can’t shake off the feeling that
we have lost sight of the essentials! Often it has to do with ‘what is the truth’,
‘how we should live’ or ‘how important prophecy is’, and I’m not saying this
is wrong. But we overlook WHY God gave us these things! Doesn’t the truth
aim for complete fellowship with God? Instead, shouldn’t these areas help
us REALLY get to know God? Isn’t the aim of prophecy that we acknowledge
God’s greatness and omnipotence, that we understand that He holds the
whole world in His hand and directs it and that in the same way He can lead
and shape our lives? What is eternal life? John 17:3 NKJV: ‘And this is eternal

life, that they may KNOW You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
You have sent.‘ In the parable the bridegroom simply says to the five foolish
virgins: ‘I know you not.’ The aim of our faith is to simply know God, to have
fellowship with HIM, so that HE can fill us as He filled the temple back then
(2 Chron 5:13-14). And when He flows through us, fills our whole being, then
we aren’t living, but rather Christ is living in us.” (Author known by editor)
AMAZING ANSWERS TO INTERCESSION

“The second 40 Days book from D. Smith is an unbelievable blessing for me.
Some of the people I have prayed for have experienced a 180° turnabout in
their lives.
During the 40 Days I had a deep spiritual conversation with a friend. He
told me that His life had taken a different course in the last few weeks. He
had a greater need to pray, was reflecting more on God’s word and was able
to let things go that had been valuable and desirable to him before. I got
up my courage and told him about the 40 Days book and also told him that
he was one of the five people that I was praying for. Then he responded in
positive surprise: ‘So you are responsible for this whole thing.’
A girl made the decision to dedicate her life 100% to God. Although she
had been a believer since she was a child, she had been living without God.
She had no interest in faith and was completely ensnared in a worldly life.
She has completely changed now; everyone who knew her and sees her
now is amazed. She is studying the Bible with me now and is taking part in
the 40 Days program in our church and wants to encourage others to have
a more serious faith-life.
Another young girl, who I prayed for, had to take part in a week-long
training course and had to stay in accommodation together with the other
participants. She was worried about spending this time with all these
strangers. One day before she left I encouraged her in prayer and told her
that I had been praying for her for quite a while. So we prayed that God
would give her peace in this situation and that He would make this expe-
rience an answer to prayer. During the training course she called me and
excitedly told me that God had done something unbelievable with her. He
not only had given her perfect peace, but He had also given her the cour-
age not to take part in the evening amusements, which consisted of discos,
alcohol, etc.
121
After the 40 Days I have continued praying for these people, since I have
heard and seen the great ways in which God answers prayer.” A. M. (short-
ened version)
HOW GOD WORKS THROUGH INTERCESSION

“In the last five years I had gotten completely out of touch with an important
person to me. He seemed to ignore my messages. I had heard that he hadn’t
been going to church anymore over the past three years. (He had grown
up in the church.) And that he was in a relationship with a non-Christian
woman. I put this young man on my prayer list, even though I didn’t think it
would be possible to get back in touch with him, since he lived 600 km away
and never answered me. Nevertheless, I prayed for a ‘sign of life’.
On short notice I heard about the upcoming baptism of his brother,
which ‘just happened’ to be taking place near me and was on a date dur-
ing the 40 Days of Prayer (it had originally been planned for another date).
I decided to attend—and met him! We were able to have a very deep discus-
sion and he told me that for some time he had had an increasingly great
need to come back to God, but that he didn’t have the strength to change
his lifestyle. I told him that for the past 20 days I had been praying inten-
sively for him and that even before that he had been on my prayer list. He
was speechless that exactly during this time he had felt God working on
him.
During the very spiritual baptismal service he was very moved and when
the pastor made an appeal, I could feel the battle that was taking place in
him and after a long struggle he finally fell on his knees and started to cry.
He surrendered himself to God again! At the end of the evening, he told
me that he had decided to attend church regularly again and to change his
lifestyle. He never expected this weekend to end in this way.
A few weeks later I met him at a youth mission conference, which again
strengthened him and built him up. I thank God for the repentance of a
beloved person.” M. H.
I would recommend the books from Roger Morneau to anyone who

wants to learn more about intercessory prayer: A Trip into the Supernatural,
The Incredible Power of Prayer, When you Need Incredible Answers to Prayer
and More Incredible Answers to Prayer. (These books are available at your
local Adventist Book Center.)

PRAYER LETTER NO. 148
PRAYER MINISTRY OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE
The Miracle of Spiritual Healing

One morning after I had read the daily worship on www.revivalandreforma-
tion.org , I went to the section “Featured Resources”. There I saw a booklet
with the title Steps to Personal Revival by Helmut Haubeil. As I read, I real-
ized that I had seldom asked for the Holy Spirit in my life. I went to church,
had daily worship and even gave a few Bible studies. But my spiritual life
lacked depth. I felt disconnected. God answered my prayer and I longed for
more.
Up to this point I had experienced God working in my life—He had
helped me out of depression and supported me in my darkest moment—
an attempted suicide. I had grown up under extremely troubled circum-
stances. For years I hadn’t had any contact with my father, but recently
we had spoken on the telephone since he was seriously ill and had been
in the hospital for a long time. He thought his life was coming to an end
and for the first time in 60 years he apologized for the abuse and neglect
of our family. Our conversation didn’t make the situation any better, but it
brought all the pain I had experienced to my consciousness. I had very little
help through relationships and didn’t want to live anymore and decided to
take my life. But God protected me and began to heal my wounds.
At this time, I got hold of the booklet Steps to Personal Revival. It shows
the steps to be filled with the Holy Spirit. What a change I have since experi-
enced! Now I daily pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and can hardly wait
to see what God will do next in my life. It is hard for me to ask and wait on
the Lord and to trust His faithfulness, since I grew up in a very difficult fam-
ily. But I am learning to trust my heavenly Father and this trust is replacing
my need to have everything under control and to protect myself from pain.
I yearn to be free in Jesus and to be led by Him. And I am so thankful for the
suggestions in the booklet that lead me to the gift of the Holy Spirit. I have
discovered that while reading the Bible the words go directly to my heart.
It isn’t simply reading the Bible anymore, but rather it is personal fellow-
ship and a growing relationship with Christ. God is giving me the deeper
relationship that I yearned for!
I had worked through the process of really forgiving my father and
thought that I had made progress. But when I read the booklet (Steps to
Personal Revival) the Holy Spirit showed me deep-seated resentment that
123
I thought I had conquered. Far too often we cling to resentment as justifica-
tion for some wrong that was done to us. But I have learned that we have
to let go of these feelings, if we want to receive God’s Spirit in fullness. I had
to make the decision to let them go. By God’s grace my heart was stirred by
compassion for my father as a lost person and I started to earnestly pray for
his salvation. Not long afterwards, my father called my sister and in tears
told her “Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me.” He shared with her that he had
read through the gospel of John and was deeply impressed that Jesus had
died for him. Everyone that knows him would say: “That isn’t like him at
all!” But God answered my prayers in a remarkable way.
Recently I ordered 10 copies of the booklet and gave them to members
of my church—they also wanted to pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
In the meantime, I have seen how Steps to Personal Revival has enriched
their lives. How many of us go our own way as Christians without connect-
ing to the power of the Spirit? I fear many of us go to church, outwardly look
like good Christians, but are inwardly empty. I am starting to experience
what God promised: He can do much more than we can ask or imagine.
Do you have a similar problem to mine? God can fill you with His Spirit and
give you real help. He can do the same thing for you as He did for me.” D. A.
THE CHURCH IN LUDWIGSBURG /

BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG, GERMANY
“At first we studied the 40 Days book as a couple and experienced great
personal benefit and blessings during the time of prayer. Afterwards,
we organized a prayer meeting twice a week in the church and read the
book with the church members. We distinctly experienced God’s bless-
ing and leading and experienced many miracles during the 40 Days.
As a church God refreshed and revived us: church members, who had
never had the courage to speak with strangers, suddenly spoke with
strangers by their own initiative. God is binding us as a church closer
together through prayer together. We had the privilege of having special
experiences in the intercession and support of the five people that we
prayed for during the 40 Days. God worked in a special way in these peo-
ple’s lives. Again and again people from the street suddenly appear on Sab-
bath in the church service. We are giving Bible studies to one of these fami-
lies. They had gotten acquainted with the Sabbath through videos on the
internet and the book The Great Controversy and had been searching for a

church for some time.” Katja and Christian Schindler, Seventh-Day Adven-
tist Church in Ludwigsburg (shortened version).
40 DAYS EXPERIENCE
“Everything started with a seminar on Steps to Personal Revival. At that time
a desire grew within me to experience God in my daily life. Then I heard
about the 40 Days of prayer and worship. It was immediately clear to me—
I wanted to experience this adventure. Actually, I didn’t know what I was
getting myself into. Finding a suitable prayer partner (which is part of the
program) wasn’t difficult. The challenge for me was to find time for each
other every day for 40 days. As a nurse I have very irregular working hours.
I hadn’t even thought about that. Nonetheless, God blessed my decision
from the very start. With longing I waited for those precious minutes of the
day in which we could share with each other about the topic and plead
for the Holy Spirit. We discovered that the prayers changed something
in our lives. And we couldn’t keep it to ourselves. With every opportunity
that came we felt impressed to share something. It was important to me
to motivate other people to have the same experience. The effect didn’t
fail to appear. Some church members were infected with our enthusiasm.
Quickly new worship pairs got together. We looked forward to sharing every
week what we had experienced. This ‘virus’ was also caught by quite a few
of our youth. The 40 days ended much too quickly. We didn’t want to and
simply couldn’t stop. So we continued our worship time with the book
Maranatha—The Lord is coming by Ellen White. And God didn’t make us wait
for long. Still during the 40 days He gave us many wonderful answers to
prayer. Someone who we had prayed for during this time came into contact
with the church again after a long absence. We were so happy. The people
around me became more important to me. My desire to share God’s love
with other people grew stronger. My life changed. Many of us got to know
and understand each other better. Many take part in each other’s lives and
are there for each other. Fellowship has a completely new meaning. The
40 Days of prayer and worship by Dennis Smith was a great help to me. It
is easier than it seems to find a prayer partner and to experience God. The
people dear to us will thank us for it.” Hildegard Welker, Crailsheim Seventh-
Day Adventist Church, (a nurse on the surgical ward.) (slightly shortened)
125
JESUS OUR EXAMPLE
Jesus is our greatest example in all things. In Luke 3:21-22 NKJV we read:
“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was
baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit
descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him …”
Ellen G. White said the following about this event: “In response to His
prayer to His Father, heaven was opened, and the Spirit descended like a
dove and abode upon Him.” 142
It is amazing what happened during His ministry: “Morning by morn-
ing he communicated with his Father in heaven, receiving from him daily a
fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit.” 143 If Jesus needed a fresh baptism of the
Holy Spirit daily, then how much more do we need it!
142 Ellen G. White, Ye Shall Receive Power (1995), p. 14.4

143 Ellen G. White, Signs of the Time, Nov. 21, 1895

WHAT EXPERIENCES LIE AHEAD OF US? | DAY 11

1. What experiences have people had that have asked for the in-filling of the
Holy Spirit?
2. What changes do you want for yourself and for the life of your church?
3. What changes could you personally make with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit?
Our Prayer Time

1. that the Lord fills us with the Holy Spirit.
2. that we joyfully submit everything we are and have to the Lord today.
3. for the people on your intercessory prayer list.
127
Day 12 CHAPTER 7
INTEREST AND SHARING
The Joy that we give returns to our own

hearts. (German Proverb) How can I help others
to experience “Life in Abundance” (John 10:10)?
HOW TO AROUSE INTEREST IN A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE?

What can leaders and churches do? Here are a few possibilities that show
what we can do as leaders (e.g. as president, pastor, church or m
ission sec-
retary, leaders of institutions or other key persons) in collaboration with
church boards, churches and groups.
Possibilities
1. Worship groups of two: Study 40 Days worships as a married couple or
with another prayer partner. Start with the first 40 Days book “Prayers
and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming”, Dennis Smith, R eview
and Herald, and if appropriate later use the second 40 Days book
“Prayers and Devotions to Revive your Experience with God”. Steps to Per-
sonal Revival or Abide in Jesus can also be used. When a married couple
has worship together, it is very profitable and promotes mutual affec-
tion. Naturally, you can also have worship together with someone else.
It would be ideal to personally get together, but it can also work over
the telephone or Skype or other media. Worship groups of two have the
greatest impact. God’s word recommends that we pray in twos (Matt
18:19) and work in twos (Luke 10:1). This mode of worship is the best
prerequisite to inspire others to do the same.
128 CHAPTER 7 INTEREST AND SHARING

2. Introduce or share literature. Example:
The booklet Steps to Personal Revival (available free of charge or at low
cost in all translated languages).
More than 150 testimonies of readers and hundreds of conversations
have shown that this booklet is especially appreciated in the following
ways:
A proper self-assessment in relation to our spiritual status
Understand the two simple steps that lead to an attractive spiritual
life and the certainty of salvation.
Know the great benefi t of a life in the power and guidance of the Holy
Spirit and what losses we suff er without Him.
To become aware that our prayers with promises have a completely
different quality. We then pray more joyfully, with confi dence and
more depth. And after such a prayer, we can be sure that we have
received the Holy Spirit.
Their great joy caused them to be witnesses and distributors of the-
books.
Their great joy caused them to be witnesses and distributors of the
book.
Through the experiences of many we have learned that the use of Steps
to Personal Revival together with the 40 Days books 1 and 2 lead to the
best results. Steps to Personal Revival opens the eyes and is an excel-
lent help to start immediately. The 40 Days books broaden and help
strengthen the spiritual life. Furthermore, they lead to personal morning
worship and many answered prayers.
3. Short readings during the worship service: Over a period of time

selected passages about living with the Holy Spirit can be read during
the worship service before the sermon (five to ten minutes). Recom-
mended literature is listed under the next point. After a while, people
can be encouraged to form groups of two or to implement the 40 Days
concepts (see point 12).
4. Passages from our literature that can be printed in the church bulletin
or they can be recommended during the announcements:
The Desire of Ages, ch. 73: “Let your heart not be troubled.”
The Acts of the Apostles, ch. 5 “The Gift of the Spirit”
Christ’s Object Lessons, ch. 12 “Asking to Give”
129
Testimony Treasures vol. 3, “The Promise of the Spirit”, p. 209-215
Thoughts from one day from the EGW worship book “Ye Shall Receive
Power” (available at your local Adventist Book Center)

5. Share experiences: As often as possible share spiritual experiences dur-
ing the worship service. Personal experiences can be shared or those
from other church members or other churches. You can find testimonies
on www.steps-to-personal-revival.info Just click on: “Testimonies”.
6. Four-part seminar as an impulse-Sabbath: This is probably the most

effective method to quickly generate interest in a church. This is a s pecial
Sabbath with 3-4 presentations, starting with Friday evening, then dur-
ing the worship service on Sabbath and again in the a fternoon. A poten-
tial general topic could be the Steps to Personal Revival program: look at
www.steps-to-personal-revival.info:
Friday evening is the ideal time of the week to share experiences, thus
share a very moving experience. If possible, it should be a personal
experience from the speaker. Another possibility is to talk about “Sur-
render to Jesus”. You can find suggestions for this in the booklet Abide
in Jesus, chapter 2 “Surrender to Jesus”.
It is recommended to preach on the key thoughts from Steps to Per-
sonal Revival during the worship service. To be more exact: share 2-3
quotes from the introduction about the lack of the Holy Spirit. Con-
tinue with the key thoughts from chapter 1 “What did Jesus teach
about the Holy Spirit” and from chapter 2 “What is the center of our
problems?” (maybe divide it into two separate hours)
During the first afternoon meeting share the key thoughts from chap-
ter 3 “Our problems—can they be solved? How?”
During the second afternoon meeting share the key thoughts from
chapter 5, “The Key to Practical Experience”.
In churches where the first seminar Steps to Personal Revival has already
been held, they can have another impulse-Sabbath or another seminar
using the topics from the booklet Abide in Jesus. Again, there could be four
segments from the four chapters.
It is profitable in preparation for the impulse-Sabbath to pass out the
corresponding literature ahead of time with the recommendation to study
it carefully. It has also proven profitable to start a 40 Days Prayer time the

weekend after the impulse-Sabbath (see point 12) or with a coordinated
reading of one chapter a week from Steps to Personal Revival (see point 7).
7. Coordinated Reading: One chapter a week—an easy and helpful

possibility is to read one chapter every week or every day (even better
if this chapter is read more than once) from Steps to Personal Revival
or Abide in Jesus or from one of the 40 Days books. A group or the
whole church can agree on a starting date. This can be done either in
preparation for a four-part seminar (see point 6) or after this impulse-
Sabbath. Each individual can decide if they want to read alone, with
one other person or in a group. On Sabbath it would be good to read
the key thoughts from the respective chapter in about 5 minutes and
then invite people to share their personal testimonies. If there are no
personal testimonies, then a testimony from someone else can be
read (prepare ahead of time—see Testimonies). Then announce what
chapter will be read during the coming week. You can order the 40 Days
books under www.spiritbaptism.org. This book is now divided into 14
parts. Starting on Sabbath the book can be read in two weeks. The con-
tent can be studied in depth by reading through the whole book two or
three times. This is an intensive method that bares good fruit.
8. Hold sermons on living with the Holy Spirit or encourage and request
someone else to do it. There are excellent sermons by Dwight Nelson
under the heading: “Ground Zero and the New Reformation: How to be
baptized with the Holy Spirit”. Sermons starting with 2nd Sept. and his
blogs of Aug. 30th and Sept. 13th are at: www.pmchurch.tv/sermons or
www.steps-to-personal-revival.info
9. Hold Bible studies on living with the Holy Spirit or read them aloud.
10. Small groups or prayer groups can read and discuss applicable litera-
ture and pray together. In addition, groups of two should be encour-
aged, who go through the 40 Days worships and then once a week the
whole group meets for discussion, sharing experiences and praying
together (see point 12).
131
11. Mission Sabbath—Since a life with the Holy Spirit makes us missionar-
ies, it is a good idea, on a permanent basis or for a specific time period,
to reinstitute mission Sabbaths. This was a fundamental element of our
pioneers. Our forefathers conducted a mission Sabbath the first Sab-
bath of every month. Either a dedicated person or a small group should
assume responsibility for the prayerful preparation and implementa-
tion of such a meeting. If this is combined with some of the above-men-
tioned possibilities, it can contribute to constructive and happy hours
on the Sabbath. In addition, it can lead to an awakening of the mission-
ary spirit.
12. Study and discuss the 40 Days concept—This concept is presented in the
40 Days books 1, 2 and 3 under the section, “Introduction and Over-
view”. Subsequently, it can be discussed in the church board, mission
board or conference board. This concept can also be presented at pas-
toral meetings, elders meetings, mission meetings and youth meetings,
at retreats, district meetings and mission schools. This concept helps in
the following areas:
Helps to have a more intimate relationship with Jesus through the
Holy Spirit.
Helps strengthen prayer life (alone, in pairs or groups).
Helps deepen our personal relationships.
Helps to strengthen the spiritual life through the 40 Days worships on
the Holy Spirit.
Facilitates intercession for lost or unreached people and facilitates
contacting them.
Helps support evangelism, care groups or Bible studies.
This is achieved in three spiritual steps:

Personal spiritual revitalization through the 40 Days worships in
groups of two.
(Discussions based on the book’s “Discussion Questions” and daily
prayer for the Holy Spirit according to the “Prayer Focus” sections.
Spirit-filled intercession and each person contacts five unreached
people or weak church members.
Evangelistic activities, eg. presentations/seminars, mission-minded
care groups, Bible studies, small or medium-sized expos e.g. health,
creation or prophecy expos.

For those doing the organizing, the 40 Days concept (called “Instruction
Manual”) is available if you click right here: 40Day-Instructions.pdf. It con-
tains all the necessary steps leading to a fruitful 40 Days e xperience. The
suggested spiritual path is the best preparation for a planned evangelis-
tic series. In this way, leaders and church members are personally spiritu-
ally prepared. Through the intercession and each person contacting five
unreached individuals, the field is being p repared for the evangelistic
series. Different types of evangelism can be used. The 40 Days Books by
Dennis Smith can be ordered through www.spiritbaptism.org
13. Pass out an information-sheet on the 40 Days prayer program to the

church members. In addition, it is recommended to make an invitation
for the starting date of the 40 Days series in your church.
14. Publish suitable articles in church bulletins, conference bulletins, union

bulletins, periodicals, church websites, as well as in church newsletters
and newsletters from different church departments.
15. Survey: After a presentation on the topic of the Holy Spirit, slips of
paper can be passed out for a short anonymous survey:
If a person often or daily prays for the Holy Spirit, they can put down
a checkmark.
If an individual prays daily with promises for the Holy Spirit, they can
put down two checkmarks.
This is a good way to determine what the current status is in this area.
Prayerful preparation for and prayer during all the above-mentioned

possibilities is crucial. It is invaluable as praying individuals to ask specific
church members, existing prayer circles and even the whole church for spe-
cific intercession for specific requests regarding the implementation and
impact of the church programme.
133
DISTINCT WORDS
Neal C. Wilson: Something is lacking

I must confess that in spite of progress and victories in so many areas, I
have become increasingly persuaded that something is lacking. We are not
fully measuring up to God’s glorious expectations for each of us and for his
church.“ (Adventist Review, Jan.4 1990, p.2) Neal C. Wilson goes on to point
out that he felt what was lacking was the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I agree
whole-heartedly with him. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the key to hav-
ing God finish His work through His people. (Dennis Smith, Spirit Baptism &
Evangelism, p. 4) Revival causes mission.
Revival causes Mission

I am 36 years old now. Also, I have been the only Adventist in my workplace
for the last 5 years. This year I had 5 new positions open in my team. Of
the 5 new staff, 2 are Adventists, while another, I soon found out, that we
both were baptized in 2000 during Pr. Mark Finley’s campaign conducted
here in Port Moresby; however, he is backslidden. This is my work to help
this brother, and also others around me, through the influence of the Holy
Spirit. Since praying for the Holy Spirit, for the first time I have handed out
Steps to Christ booklets to 2 colleagues. I followed up today, and my female
colleague has completed and wants to read another book, while my male
colleague is yet to complete reading. I have them both on my prayer list
also. I thank God for the Holy Spirit, and I don’t want to be a lukewarm
Adventist. I am so excited to read and share Jesus with all I come in contact
with. I think I may soon change my career as I’m struggling to incorporate
my new found love for Jesus in my daily life. (I. M. 090518 #142)
(This experience was written within 6 weeks of living in full surrender und
daily praying fort he Spirit)
We are sharing your books widely - 1,500 pieces

A Message of Encouragement: My wife and I are sharing the Steps to Per-
sonal Revival (in English and Spanish) and Abide in Jesus books for free to
anyone who requests one through our website. We have been sharing the
books for 2 years, and have given away over 1,000 copies Steps to Personal
Revival and 500 Abide in Jesus books. Thank you so much for the insights
of these books. I think the book, Abide in Jesus is very necessary. Is there a
Spanish translation? (AFB EE040619 From USA #88)

INTEREST AND SHARING | DAY 12

1. List several possibilities of how interest in a life with the Holy Spirit can be
aroused:
2. With which people could you get together and pray for the gift of the Holy
Spirit?
3. What suggestions could you make in your church to encourage interest in

the topic of the “Holy Spirit”?
Our Prayer Time

1. that the Lord fills you with the Holy Spirit today.
2. that the Lord works a revival in us, our lives and our churches.
3. that today we are a blessing in word and deed.
135
Day 13 How do we pass on the message?
Which ways are there?
HOW TO DISTRIBUTE REVIVAL LITERATURE?

Goal:
A brother once said: “This message has to reach every Adventist house-
hold around the world. I will do my part,” And he is doing it - intensely.
A sister wrote: “This booklet should be translated into all main languages,
or best, into all.” She won over her conference and is now preaching this
topic throughout all of the districts. Furthermore, through God’s guidance
she has brought thousands of booklets into a neighboring country that
wouldn’t accept the Christian faith previously.
Development and Finance:

Through God’s guidance, the booklet Steps to Personal Revival shall be
passed on to all Adventist families in their own languages—free of charge
or minimal price. With the help of the pastors, numerous conferences and
unions have already passed down free copies to the families within their
respective districts. Trailblazers were the Swiss-German Conference in
Switzerland, the Austrian Union in Austria, and the Baden-Wuerttemberg
Conference in Germany. This project developed through God’s distinct ini-
tiative. Through God’s influence and by His grace more than 900,000 copies
were distributed by 2019. We would like to invite you to pray that the Lord
will continue to guide us and provide the necessary means to further the
project. We usually request funds from Conferences or Unions with strong
financial budgets to cover half of the printing costs. For others, but espe-
cially for missions, with God’s help, we would like to finance everything our-
selves. But the end-user shall always receive the material free of charge or
low cost even in larger quantities.
A Sound Personal Requirement

We wish for you to reach others. A sound requirement for sharing is to have
been personally blessed by this message and to have Christ live inside your
heart by receiving the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Please read in The Desire

of Ages, p. 676.2 [egwwritings.org] the precious reference to the word of
Jesus in John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” This means two things:
a constant receiving of His Spirit
a life of unreserved surrender to His service
Why did Jesus give this hint? “These things have I spoken unto you, that
my joy [the joy of Jesus is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, Gal 5:22] might remain in
you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15:11)
POSSIBILITIES TO DISTRIBUTE:
Prayer
It is essential that sharing the Gospel with certain people must be p
repared
through intercessory prayer. Ellen G. White says in Evangelism, p.341.3,
“Through much prayer you must labor for souls, for this is the only method
by which you can reach hearts.”
Distributing the booklet:

You can pass on the booklet by sharing your impressions and experiences
with the receivers. These could be friends, leaders and people holding key
positions in churches, conferences and unions, printing presses, mission
projects, and other institutions. Another valuable opportunity is given dur-
ing convention meetings at a booth or public distribution with the permis-
sion of the organizers. Keep in mind that every Adventist family should
receive a copy free or at low cost.
The booklet can also be sent through the mail or through people meet-
ing the receivers personally.
Distribution through the internet

A most contemporary way to distribute the message is by email. The mes-
sage was sent to Australia and from there passed onto Mizoram, India. It
also reached Pakistan via Brazil. You can read the message at www.schritte-
zur-persönlichen-erweckung.info. You can print and/or forward it through
a simple link to one or many in all translated languages. You can also make
people aware that the website is available in English at www.steps-to-per-
sonal-revival.info. By the end of 2019, with God’s guidance and the devoted
support of translators, the message will be available in 40 languages, with
10-12 more languages to follow shortly thereafter. Through God’s help,
many more will surely follow.
137
Distribution through E-books
A free e-book is available on this website in ‘epub’ and ‘mobi’ formats. You
can also order the e-book via Amazon for € 2.00.
Distribution through Social Networks

A very effective way to share the contents of this website or a link to the PDF
books with friends and acquaintances is through networks like Facebook,
Google+, Twitter or WhatsApp. Through sharing and inviting, you can reach
your personal contacts, as well as new people in different countries and
continents.
Distribution through Sermons and Seminars

All pastors and lay preachers have the wonderful opportunity to share
this message with the churches through one or numerous sermons. You
can do this through your own studies or through using the materials from
the booklet. “I have never preached a topic that the church had already
heard or read before. Through educational research I know today that it
is absolutely essential to read about or hear such an important topic 6-10
times,” (Personal experience and advice of Brother Helmut Haubeil). Now
as I know this, I have no problem to preach after the people have already
read or heard the topic before. If you want, you can indicate that you are
using the main thoughts and quotes from the booklet.
If you don’t preach you can request others to use this topic in their ser-
mons. A Sabbath seminar with the general topic of Steps to Personal R
evival
should contain at least three topics:
Sermon: What is at the core of our problems?

Do our problems have a spiritual cause?
Do we lack the Holy Spirit?
How do I self-diagnose my Spiritual Life?
(Source: Steps to Personal Revival: Intro, Ch. 1 & 2)
1. Afternoon program:
Our problems are solvable—But how?
How can we develop a happy/joyful and strong Christian life?
How does the Holy Spirit fill our life? The secret word is “daily”.
(Source: as above: Ch. 3)
2. Afternoon or evening program

ey points for practical application/ How to apply it practically (The
K
Key to Practical Experience.)
How can I practically apply and experience God’s solution in my
life?
How must I pray for the assurance of the infilling of the Holy Spirit?
(Source: as above Ch. 5)
Personal testimonies
Personal testimonies about the following topics are very valuable:
about personal impressions or insight that were gained through the
reading material
about the results of this message in our lives
Translation into your own local language

If the booklet has not been translated into your own local language, maybe
you can—through prayer and God’s providence—find a person, who is will-
ing and able to do it. Translators, who were personally touched by the mes-
sage are of great advantage. So far, most of the translations were done vol-
untarily, since the translator also had a great interest in the spreading of
this message. But sometimes translating does cost, understandably, if the
translator has his income from it. Those translators were paid with “broth-
erly” wages. We apopreciate if you can contact Helmut Haubeil personally
with regard to translation matters. He has some good advice to share as he
wants to make sure that the booklet is being released in the same format
in every language.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Through the Holy Spirit we have a wonderful leader in all life’s situations
and strength according to the riches of His glory.
Thus our characters can be changed and we can become valuable tools
in God’s work. Our daily surrender and baptism with the Holy Spirit will
lead to a real breakthrough in our lives.
The Lord wants to prepare us for the greatest time in the world’s history.
He wants us to be personally ready for His coming and that in the power of
the Holy Spirit we can work together to comple the work of the gospel. He
wants to lead us victoriously through these difficult times.
139
Let God give you personal revival and reformation through daily surren-
der and a daily baptism with the Holy Spirit.
I want to close with a Bible text and a prayer for revival:
“If my people … will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chr 7:14 NKJV)
Prayer: Father in heaven, please give us humility (Micah 6:8). Put in

our hearts a great desire to pray and seek Your face. Make us willing
and help us to turn from our wicked ways. Please fulfill the prereq-
uisites in us and as a result of Your promise let us hear Your answer.
Forgive us for our sins and heal us from our lukewarmness and apos-
tasy. Please help us to surrender ourselves to Jesus daily and by faith
receive the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer.” 144 “The baptism

of the Holy Spirit as on the day of Pentecost will lead to a revival of true
religion and to the performance of many wonderful works.” 145


INTEREST AND SHARING | DAY 13

1. Which of the options mentioned in this section appeal to you the most?
2. What concerns have become important to you after reading this booklet?
3. What specifically do you want to achieve in the next few weeks?
Our Prayer Time

1. that the Lord will continue to fill you with the Holy Spirit.
2. that we will recognize how we can proceed.
3. that God will lead us to be His witnesses.
141
Day 14 APPENDIX
RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY
An important suggestion: read this booklet, if possible, every day for six
days. Educational research has shown that it is necessary that such a vital
topic for our life has to be read or heard six to ten times before a person can
thoroughly understand it. Give it a try. The results will convince you.
A teacher tried it out: “These encouraging words captivated me: ‘Try it at
least once. The result will convince you.’ I wanted to experience this and
by the third reading it gripped me and I felt a great love for our Redeemer,
which I had yearned for my whole life. Within two months I read the booklet
six times and the result was worth it. It was as if I could understand what it
was like when Jesus comes close to us and we can look into His pure, kind
and loving eyes. From then on I never wanted to go without this joy for my
Savior again.” C. P.
I have received many thankful and enthusiastic testimonies about their
new life with the Holy Spirit. Almost all of them were from readers, who
intensively re-read the booklet multiple times.
40 DAYS INSTRUCTION MANUAL

You can find helpful material for organizing 40 Days of prayer with an evan-
gelistic series afterwards using the 40 Days book by Dennis Smith on the
website: www.SpiritBaptism.org under 40 Days Instruction Manual.
NEW EXPERIENCES WITH LIVING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Our Lord Jesus said: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me …” (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
A special request: When you have experiences with living with the Holy
Spirit in your personal life or when witnessing, then we would really appre-
ciate it if you could send a short report to Helmut Haubeil so that he can
share it in the Missionsbrief (a small newsletter in German on mission
work). Please tell us if you only want your initials after the report or if we
can share your full name and what church you attend. Please remember
that your experience will strengthen others to grow in their walk with the
Holy Spirit or to begin a journey with the Holy Spirit.
Contact: Helmut Haubeil (Address: Cover)
142 APPENDIX
APPENDIX | DAY 14

1) The recommendation to re-read this booklet 6-10 times has proved to be a
good way to bring a life with the Holy Spirit into your heart. A sister kept a
diary of what took place during the first 6 weeks of her experience. She was
so delighted that she wrote a long letter. What plans do you have for your
future course of action?
___________________________________________________________
2) The 40 Days concept is the best spiritual and evangelistic concept that I have
come across in my 50 years as a pastor. You can read about it in the intro-
duction of any 40 Day book. Whoever wants the complete plan can down-
load it for free at https://www.missionsbrief.de/40-tage-konzept.html
(in English or German).
• 40 Days studies can be done either personally or as a pair and can also
be done by telephone or Skype. During this time, you can for example
study Steps to Personal Revival three times or continue on with Abide in
Jesus or use any of the 40 Day books from Dennis Smith.
• During this time also pray daily for five unreached people and establish
a contact with them.
• A “visitor Sabbath” at church follows the 40 Days.
• A week later Bible studies, home study groups, seminars or lectures
start. Do you want to get to know this concept better?
3. What do others say about the Holy Spirit? How often is our request for the
Holy Spirit important?
___________________________________________________________
Our Prayer Time

Contact your prayer partner and discuss the topic.
• Pray with your prayer partner…
1. that we will continue to daily pray for and receive the Holy Spirit.
2. and thank the Lord for His future guidance in our spiritual life..
3. that we will make the right decisions for our future course of action.
143
NOTES | DAY 14
144 APPENDIX
“Expect great things from God.
Attempt great things for God.”
William Carey
B OO K 2 :
ST E PS TO PE RSO NAL R E VI VA L
ABIDE IN JESUS
HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
“Abide in Me, and I in you.” Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving
of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service.
E.G. White (Desire of Ages, DA p.676.2)
Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as a condition in order to enjoy His salvation.
Rather it is our consent to let Him do everything for us, in us, and through us. It is a work He
does for us – the result and the power of His redeeming love. Our part is simply to yield, to trust,
and to wait for Him to accomplish what He has promised. (Andrew Murray)
C H A P T E R 1 : JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

Are you acquainted with Jesus’ most powerful message? What functions does the Holy Spirit have?
How can our character be changed? Jesus on the Holy Spirit in the Parable. About the Leaven
C H A P T E R 2 : SURRENDER OF JESUS
Do I lose my own will? Or will I become stronger? What can prevent us from surrendering?
Does surrender to God mean that we have to give up our own will?
C H A P T E R 3 : JESUS ABIDING IN YOU

What effects does “Christ in me” have on my life?
The ultimate achievement: being imbued with the fullness of God.
The Effects of “Christ in you”. How do we get deliverance from the power of sin?
Will we become “carnal” again by sinning?
C H A P T E R 4 : OBEDIENCE THROUGH JESUS?

How can I live in joyful obedience? What is joy? How does obedience through “Jesus in me” work?
God has designed: Collaboration between God and Man.
C H A P T E R 5 : ATTRACTIVE FAITH THROUGH JESUS

How can oneness be achieved among believers?
What makes our faith appealing to our family and the world?
What changes in us make us witnesses? How does revival generate mission?
146 APPENDIX
Literature on this Topic
40 Days [Book 1] Prayers and Devotions to Prepare for the Second Coming
40 Days [Book 2] Prayers and Devotions to Revive your Experience with God
40 Days [Book 3] God’s Health Principles for His Last-Day People
40 Days [Book 4] Prayers and Devotions on Earth’s Final Events
Dennis Smith, Review and Herald 2009 - 2013
If My People Pray – An Eleventh-Hour Call to Prayer and Revival
Randy Maxwell, Pacific Press 1995
Revive Us Again, Mark A. Finley, Pacific Press 2010
How to Be Filled With the Holy Spirit und Know it
Garrie F. Williams, Review and Herald 1991
The Radical Prayer, Derek J. Morris, Review and Herald 2008
A NDR E W LE T T E R NO . 5 :
VICTORY OVER TOBACCO

AND ALCOHOL
“Would you like to know how, with the help of God,
you can get free from smoking, immediately,
and with no withdrawal symptoms?”
www.steps-to-personal-revival.info
Free download or send to friends In English, this Andrew Letter is not available in print.
There are 17 Andrew letters in German.
Why the name Andreas letters?

The biblical Andrew led his brother Simon to Jesus. The same is the intention of the Andrew
letters. Should anyone be interested in translating them from German into English, then we
ask for contact with Helmut Haubeil. Then they can appear digital and printed in English.
147
NOTES
148 APPENDIX
Publisher: I currently pastor two churches in California. I first came across your mate-
Original: „Schritte zur persönlichen Erweckung“
TOP Life Wegweiser-Verlag GmbH, Wien rial when listening to Pastor Dwight Nelson [see below] on his weekly podcast.
Austrian Publishing House It totally impacted my soul at once. I had heard about other Holy Spirit mate-
Verlagsarchivnummer: 040 415 rials before, but I confess that I never cared much for them. I definitely believe
ISBN: 978-3-903002-14-2
that for some reason, God has chosen this current time to reach more people
English editions – Printed in: with the Holy Spirit. And I’m so glad I have found it from your efforts.
There were printed 23 editions from 2015 till Oct.2019 in Germany, South Korea, USA, Philippines, Zambia,
Australien, India, Great Britain
One thing I can witness to you: Right in the first chapter we are exposed
in a simple way to very powerful truths which call our minds to stop and re-
Conception: Simon Eitzenberger, www.desim.de think. And the process of reading multiple times is very effective. To everybo-
Producer: Konrad Print & Medien, www.konrad-medien.de
Project management: Christian Stroeck dy whom I talk, discuss and preach about the book, the Holy Spirit subject
Translation from 8th German edition: Holly Tarita becomes more and more attractive again. It’s like we are hearing about it for
the first time. I can see it in myself. I could not move out of the first chapter
Contact and order in foreign languages:
© Helmut Haubeil, Rosenheimerstraße 49 before preaching at least 3 sermons about the subject covered in it. I just don’t
D-83043 Bad Aibling / Oberbayern – Germany know how to better explain it, but I could not stop reading the book and the
Email: helmut@haubeil.net results of that were felt in my churches. I did spread the word, and this last
Phone: +49 (0)8061 4900 712
Languages: German and English year my district has shown a significant growth. All of that I attribute to God
and the way the Holy Spirit has empowered our members. And we are looking
Translations: for more to come in the new year! D.R. Jan. 2018 Excerpt
European languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German (Original),
Greenlandic, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, Portuguese-Portugal,
Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian.
Asian Languages: Bahasa-Indonesia, simplified and traditional Chinese, India: Hindi, Odia, Mizo, Telugu.
Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Tagalog-Philippines, Thai Thailand, Urdu-Pakistan, Vietnamese
In preparation: Aramaic-Armenia, Bahasa-Malaysia, Bengali/Bangla-Bangladesh, Burmese-Myanmare,
Farsi (Iran), Singhalese-Sri Lanka, Tongan – Tonga Islands Pacific
African Languages: Amharic-Ethiopia, Kirundi-Burundi, Kinyarwanda-Rwanda, Swahili-Kenya,
Tanzania, Zulu-South Africa Pastor Dwight Nelson, Leading Pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church in Andrews University,
said that this little book [Steps to Personal Revival] has “changed the inside of me. I want to
Website:
do the same for you”.
www.steps-to-personal-revival.info and www.schritte-zur-persönlichen-erweckung.info
There are and will be free all translated languages to read, print, sent to a friend. The menu-points: He preached a series of three sermons:
Leader, How to generate interest?, Share it, Development (In which way the Lord developed the books), “Ground Zero and the New Reformation: How to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?”
Testimonies (more than 100), Contact. There is also the continuation book: Abide in Jesus. He quoted from 'Steps to Personal Revival' and recommended it. That led to thousands of down-
loads and orders of books.
Order Information:
For details, see page 2 His personal testimony and the three sermons are at www.steps-to-personal-revival.info
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James
Version. NKJV – Scripture marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world.
Used by permission of International Bible Society.
1
No. Mini Series
HELMUT HAUBEIL
Steps to Personal Revival
TO PERSONAL
REVIVAL
Do you wish to have a happy and fulfilled life, a joyful

life of faith with exciting experiences?
If yes, then this book is just right for you. People have shared more than
500 experiences with me of how they have experienced positive changes
Steps T O P E R S O N A L R E V I VA L
in their faith life by reading this book. Therefore, further insights have
been added to this new standard edition. They show how Steps to Personal
Revival can lead us to: TO PERSONAL
❧ Recognize the most precious of all gifts that Jesus offers us: the Holy
Spirit
❧ A proper self-assessment in relation to our spiritual status
REVIVAL
❧ Understand the two simple steps that lead to an attractive spiritual life New Standard-Edition with additional experiences
and the certainty of salvation.
❧ Know the great benefit of a life in the power and guidance of the Holy
Spirit and what losses we suffer without Him.
❧ To become aware that our prayers with promises have a completely dif-
ferent quality. We then pray more joyfully, with confidence and more
depth. And after such a prayer, we can be sure that we have received
the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit
❧ Their great joy caused them to be witnesses and distributors of the
book. How do you experience this?
God wants to make a big difference in your life. It makes a crucial differ-
ence if you work for God or if our wonderful Lord can work through you.
Jesus longs for an intimate relationship with you. And He wants to get clos-
er to others through you. Great blessings and joy come from re-reading
the book multiple times. Study and practice the suggestions for six weeks
(3 x 14 days) and marvel at what God accomplishes in your life. H E L M U T H A U B E I L

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1

No. Mini Series

Do you wish to have a happy and fulfilled life, a joyful

USA Europe - Russian-language literature

SPEAKER FOR SEMINARS

Day 11 Personal experiences, as well as experiences from churches,

Day 14 Recommendation for further Study, Contacts ............................................ 142

How can I abide in Jesus?

What ist the connection of the three booklets in the

1 Ellen G. White, Mount of Blessing, MB 20.3 (egwwritings.org)

Why was it that I was suddenly and

On August 14, 2011, when I was in Kandergrund in the Bernese Highlands in

8 INTRODUCTION STEPS TO PERSONAL REVIVAL

For leaders and future leaders

The shared experiences through Steps to Personal Revival, which about

10 FOREWORD MULTIPLYING THE RESULTS

Two testimonies from a pastor and a Union Departmental Leader, now

2. Testimonies—Since I started reading your book (I have read it 6 times

Lugano, Italian speaking area of Switzerland—very secular

366 baptisms + 35 in baptismal class

12 FOREWORD MULTIPLYING THE RESULTS

Students—Pastor Dwight Nelson, Leading Pastor of Andrews University,

An excellent idea—from USA

14 FOREWORD MULTIPLYING THE RESULTS

My request: May I—as an older brother—recommend to you: pray and read

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Bring our churches closer to Jesus

I asked God: Show me what I miss!

We suffer from spiritual not financial poverty

16 FOREWORD MULTIPLYING THE RESULTS

Personal Thoughts and Discussion Guide

3. What important conditions have to be met in order to expect good

4. Which of the quoted experiences especially touched you and why?

Our Prayer Time

What did Jesus teach about the Holy Spirit?

A FEW OF THE FIRST PERSONAL TESTIMONIES

18 CHAPTER 1 JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

JESUS’ SPECIAL APPEAL: THEREFORE ASK

7 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (1900), p. 145.3

20 CHAPTER 1 JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SOURCE OF A FULFILLED LIFE

DURING HIS LIFE HERE ON EARTH DID JESUS GIVE US

9 Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, November 21, 1895, par. 3

22 CHAPTER 1 JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

JESUS’ FAREWELL WORDS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

A NEW ADVANTAGEOUS SOLUTION

A PERSONAL TESTIMONY FROM A TEACHER

12 Sabbath School Study Guide July 17, 2014

A 13 YEAR-OLD RUFFIAN AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

24 CHAPTER 1 JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for Jesus’ urgent invitation to

26 CHAPTER 1 JESUS’ MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

Personal Thoughts and Discussion Guide

2. What problem in the parable about perseverance in prayer caused Jesus

4. How is our commitment to God manifested in our daily lives?

Our Prayer Time

WHAT IS THE CENTER

Is there a spiritual cause behind our problems?

WHY IS THERE A LACK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

13 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p. 672

28 CHAPTER 2 WHAT IS THE CENTER OF OUR PROBLEMS?

THREE GROUPS OF PEOPLE AND THEIR PERSONAL

16 Mark A. Finley, Revive us again, p. 25